On Thursday: Maccabi clashes with Alba Berlin and Zoosman
The Yellows will face the Germans and their Ex star, with hundreds of fans supporting them from the stands. Kattash: "Alba has a unique offensive style we must be ready for"
21/12/2022
HOME·News Archive· On Thursday: Maccabi clashes with Alba Berlin and Zoosman
Another Euroleague game on the road, another difficult challenge Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will need to tackle. The Yellows will face Alba Berlin in Germany (Thursday at 9 pm Israel time, 2 pm EST) full of confidence after clinching a first away victory last week in Milan.
Hundreds of fans will support Maccabi from the stands at Mercedes Benz Arena and probably won't see Wade Baldwin who flew with the team, but is still recovering from an injury and isn't expected to play. Alex Poythress, who underwent hand surgery, is also still missing from the squad.
Alba Berlin carries an unflattering streak of 11 Euroleague losses but as always, this promises to be an interesting encounter because of the two Israeli players on the Germans' squad - Yovel Zoosman, the Yellows' ex, and Tamir Blatt, son of Maccabi's head of basketball committee.
"This is another big game for us," said Oded Kattash. "We are playing a team that has a different attacking style than other opponents we've faced and we must be ready for that. We'd also need to maintain our intensity and concentration level because Alba will try to increase the pace".
Martin shines as Maccabi rallies to defeat Alba Berlin
The Yellows got a second away win in the Euroleague, 83:70 over the Gremans, thanks to a last quarter run. Jarell Martin scored 21 points
22/12/2022
HOME·News Archive· Martin shines as Maccabi rallies to defeat Alba Berlin
It didn't look very promising for a while, but after a 40-minute battle, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's players and fans celebrated a hard fought win. The Yellows (who wore blue today) defeated Alba Berlin tonight (Thursday) 83:70 thanks to an impressive run in the fourth quarter and clinched a second Euroleague victory on the road.
One minute into the third quarter, Oded Kattash's players were trailing by 11 points (40:51), but a streak of three-pointers (Hilliard, Adams, Martin) brought Maccabi back to life. The hosts created a few more runs, but Lorenzo Brown took charge and pushed the Yellows to tie the score in the beginning of the last quarter.
Then came Maccabi's best minutes in the game. Strong defense pushed the Yellows to a 21:7 run that effectively decided the game. Jarell Martin was Maccabi's go-to-guy with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Brown delivered again with 15 points and seven assists.
Next Thursday, Kattash and his players will host Anadolu Efes in what promises to be a blockbuster in front of a packed Arena.