Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv came to France with a two-game winning streak but couldn't add on after dropping the game to Villeurbanne, 81:84. The Israeli champions chased the French squad throughout the whole contest and forced a close clash but missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final possession.
In the second half, Scottie Wilbekin showed up great on both ends of the court, finishing the night with 25 points, but the Yellow & Blue dug a deep hole and couldn't complete the comeback. Dragan Bender (11 points) and Elijah Bryant (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) each had a solid overall game. The 5:9 Maccabi finish off their 6 game road trip on Friday, playing against Barcelona, leaders of the EuroLeague standings.
Maccabi's head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos summarized the game from his perspective: "We didn't start the game as we planned, we couldn't obtain control in the first half because of our defense allowing 50 first-half points. In the second half, we changed the momentum, played better defensively, and returned to the game. A positive thing to take was seeing the team show better character. Even after going down 11 in the fourth quarter, we didn't give up, the players tried to come back, and we had one final shot to tie the game, but unfortunately, we missed".
"We came out slow and gave up way too many easy buckets in the first half, building too big of a hole", Said Angelo Caloiaro, after dropping the road game. "By the time we turned it around defensively, really locking in and playing more aggressively, it was a little too late. In the second half, we continued to fight, didn't give up at the end, and that's a positive, but we need to start better and play better all four quarters".
"The players tried to come back, but unfortunately, we missed"
The Yellow & Blue summarized the loss in France. Sfairopoulos: "We didn't start the game as we planned. Even after going down 11 in the fourth quarter, we didn't give up". Caloiaro: "We need to start better and play better all four quarters"
17/12/2020
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