By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv has already been eliminated from playoff contention, coming into the postponed EuroLeague game against Khimki Moscow. Yet the players of the Israeli powerhouse had an addition reason to be extra motivated to play their best possible game: Their home crowd.
3,000 (the maximum capacity due to COVID-19 protocols) Maccabi fans sang almost non-stop while watching their team blowing out the heavily depleted Khimki Moscow 92 – 62 to complete its 2020-21 EuroLeague home games on a high note. Six players of the Yellows scored in double figures to help the squad dominate from start to finish.
Ante Zizic led the way for Maccabi with 13 points and seven rebounds, Scottie Wilbekin scored 13 points and got five boards while Dragan Bender added 12 points and seven rebounds. They and their teammates led 53 – 25 at halftime and even went up 85 – 44 in the fourth period.
Jordan Mickey (21 points, six rebounds) and Errick McCollum (17 points) stood out from Khimki that had just nine players available. Alexey Shved, Devin Booker, Janis Timma and Stefan Jovic were out for the Russian team that dropped to 4 – 29 with this loss.