Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 
Olympiacos Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Olympiacos
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Tuesday: Maccabi hosts Olympiacos
The Yellow & Blue look for revenge after the buzzer-beating loss in round one. Sfairopoulos: "We'll need to find the smartest way to attack and execute our gameplan". DiBartolomeo: "We expect a fight"
The Israeli champions get an opportunity for revenge after the heartbreaking defeat in Piraeus as Aaron Harrison hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Olympiacos a dramatic 85:82 home victory. The last couple of matchups between the clubs in Tel Aviv were tight and stressful as four of the previous five contests ended by a one-point margin.
Maccabi’s head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos spoke towards the matchup against his ex-club: “The second round started, and every game is more important than the previous one. Olympiacos has a very good structure on the court, players with a lot of experience, athleticism mainly with their American players, and we have to be ready to defend all of them because each can create big problems. It’s crucial to control the rhythm of the game. Offensively, we need to read their defensive scheme because they can offer different styles and to find the smartest way to attack and execute our gameplan”.
“We don’t look who is competing with us on the playoff spots, but we recognize that we’re two games away from standing at a .500 record”, said Omri Casspi about the upcoming week. “The feeling is in the air, but on the other end, there are a lot of games as we just started the second round, and a lot of factors can change. Hopefully, the vaccines will progress fast, and in a month or so, we’ll get our fans back in some way or another, which will affect us”.
The Yellow & Blue captain, John DiBartolomeo, referred to the team’s latest performances: “As a team, we’re on our right way. We’ve played better basketball as of late, especially on the defensive end, bringing our game plan to the games and facilitating it. We have ways to go, we can get much better, but I think we have to be happy with the progress we’ve made recently”.
Regarding the expected match against the Greeks: “We expect a fight, they are a very good team, and obviously, we have a bad taste in our mouth with how the last one ended. We would like to get them, take care of homecourt, and start this homestand on the right way”.
Maccabi drop a dramatic loss in overtime to Olympiacos
The Yellow & Blue fell to the Greeks 87:89, lowering their EuroLeague record to 8:11. Wilbekin's 25 points weren't enough as Bryant's half-court buzzer-beating shot rimmed out
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv surrenders a tough blow with an 87:89 loss to Olympiacos in Menora Mivtachim Arena after a thrilling contest, which was concluded only in overtime. Although Scottie Wilbekin knocked in 25 points, the Yellow & Blue drop their record to 8:11 following a game in which they led by most of the minutes. Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad doesn’t have much time to sorrow as Baskonia comes into Tel Aviv on Thursday.
Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Yovel Zoosman, Omri Casspi, and Ante Zizic opened for Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad. While Kostas Sloukas, Charles Jenkins, Vasilis Charalampopoulos, Georgios Printezis, and Octavius Ellis started for Olympiacos.
Both teams struggled to find the basket in the first minutes of the contest, but Bryant got it going scoring four points while dishing an assist to Zizic inside, who converted a three-point possession after being fouled on the play 8:2.
Georgios Printezis knocked down nine consecutive points for the visitors as Wilbekin responded on the other end with seven points, including a tough midrange jumper over Jenkins, 16:11. Charalampopoulos and Dorsey exchanged buckets to close out the first quarter, 18:13.
From the top of the key, Chris Jones dished a beautiful assist to Bryant, who easily laid it in, and Zizic found Angelo Caloiaro in a comparable pass opening an 8 point edge. Shaquielle Mckissic kept the visitors in the thick of things, shooting in four free throws as part of his stretch of 8 straight points for the visitors, but Bryant and Jones countered, drilling three’s from behind the arc, 30:22.
Sloukas started getting the Greeks offense going, dishing three assists to the big men inside and adding his first five points while Zizic scored inside and set a strong screen, which led to an open Wilbekin triple, 37:31. Caloiaro found Tyler Dorsey alone from deep, who swished it in as Ellis tipped in a miss for two for the final points of the half, 40:33.
The Reds tied the game three minutes into the third period as Sloukas led his squad to a 7:0 run with 3 points and two assists, 40:40. Zizic scored back to back buckets in the paint, and Hunter tallied his first basket against his ex-club as part of an 8:2 stretch, 48:42.
The momentum shifted to Olympiacos as Mckissic and Sloukas each converted from the charity strike as the Greek guard added a three-pointer, giving the visitors their first lead of the night. A Jones steal led to a Dorsey fastbreak score, and later Jones added two inside as Hunter drew a foul with one second left, hitting one of two from the line, 55:52.
Sloukas (17 points, 8 assists) put the visitors on his back at the start of the final 10 minutes, forcing an 8:2 run, 57:60. Wilbekin from the charity strike and Jones from midrange restored the Yellow & Blue edge, but Livio Jean Charles and a Sasha Vezenkov three-pointer reclaimed the advantage, 61:65.
Zizic tipped in a Wilbekin miss from the free-throw line, as the American guard added five consecutive points, including a lead changing three-pointer. Hunter completed a 7:0 stretch with two more from the strike opening a 4 point advantage with 59 seconds left on the game clock. Hassan Martin and Vezenkov tied the game at 71, leaving Maccabi with the last ball.
Surprisingly, the Reds decided to foul Dorsey, who connected in the first free throw, missed the second shot but Hunter and Caloiaro tipped the ball to Wilbekin, who also converted only one of two from the line, 73:71. With 12 seconds, Sloukas took the Greeks’ final decision and drew a foul from Hunter, knocked in two from the line, and took the game to overtime, 73:73.
The overtime was also tight, Caloiaro drove to the bucket and laid in an off-balance one-handed shot, but Maccabi lost concentration as Printezis and Vazenkov hit shots from deep, 81:86, less than a minute to go. Hunter converted two from the line and later led to a Vezenkov miss with a good defensive position, as Bryant dished a long pass to the center, who slammed it down, 85:86.
The Yellow & Blue fouled Larentzakis, who scored twice from the line with 11 seconds left. Wilbekin pushed the ball up the court and was fouled at midcourt, went three times to the line but missed his third attempt. After Larentzakis second free throw went out, Maccabi had one final chance, but Bryant half court buzzer-beating shot hit the rim and bounced out. Olympiacos beat Maccabi 87:89.
