Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv hoped to close the EuroLeague’s opening week with a first win, but fell to Paris Basketball 101–94. “We expected more,” summarized Oded Kattash.
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Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv “hosted” Paris Basketball in Belgrade’s Pionir Arena in Round 2 of the EuroLeague, aiming to close out the opening week of the 2025/26 EuroLeague season with a first win. However, Oded Kattash’s men had no answer for the French team’s flowing and intense game, as Paris came away with a 101–94 victory.
The Yellows started well and showed encouraging moments early, but Paris gradually took control and went into halftime with a 48–41 lead. At the start of the second half, the French side picked up the pace, opened a double-digit lead, and made it difficult for Maccabi to keep close. In the fourth quarter, Maccabi attempted a comeback and managed to cut into the deficit, but Paris held on to secure the 101–94 win. Lonnie Walker, returning after the injury he sustained against Anadolu Efes, led Maccabi with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for Maccabi were Jeff Dowtin Jr. (16 points and 6 assists) and Jaylen Hoard (15 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals).
On Wednesday: the first EuroLeague derby.
“Very disappointing. We knew Paris is a good team,” Oded summarized after the game. “We didn’t show enough character. But these are things that will come with time. We need more time to learn how to play better together. We have to bring good energy to the derby, to show our fans that we understand how important it is for them.”
“Today’s game was strange, the way they played was crazy,” said T.J. Leaf, who scored 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. “We started well but let it slip away. We need to get back to work. We have an important game coming up, and we need to put these two games behind us and move forward.”
“We can learn a lot from these games,” summarized Jeff Dowtin, who finished with 16 points and 6 assists. “We need to execute better. The rebounding really hurt us, and I think we’re in a learning process — we will improve.”
