By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 84 – 77 at home to capture its fourth straight EuroLeague win and keep the dream of making the playoffs alive. This was the second victory for the Serbian side over Maccabi in the 2021-22 regular season.
Nikola Kalinic provided 15 points, five rebounds plus five assists to lead Zvezda while Nate Wolters dropped 12 points and Austin Hollins scored 11 before exiting the game with an injury halfway through the third period. Their team led for the biggest part of the game, save for a moment in the third quarter when Maccabi went up 59 – 60 after a 2 – 12 run.
“I am proud of my team and the whole staff,” Kalinic said. His team is now eighth in the standings that don’t include the results of Russian clubs. “We have one more game here against Efes and we want to win also that game. We are back in the mix for the playoffs. We are happy about that. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. We played all the games that were rescheduled because of COVID. So it’s been very tough, but we’re very happy. We could feel the energy in the arena. It’s great to be a Red Star player and fan at these moments.”
Red Star proceeded to score 13 unanswered points to not only reclaim the lead but get a double-digit advantage, 72 – 60 three minutes into the fourth quarter. James Nunnally (24 points) hit multiple triples to keep Maccabi in the game but he wasn’t enough for the Yellows.
With the score 78 – 73 after a Nunnally 3-pointer and 2:38 to play, Zvezda’s defense forced a bad pass by Scottie Wilbekin and Luka Mitrovic made a beautiful move for the 80 – 73. Wilbekin missed a 3-pointer and on the other end, Kalinic scored to make it 82 – 73 to put his team at a more than safe distance with 39 seconds remaining.
“One more big win for us,” Crvena Zvezda coach Dejan Radonjic said. “Tough game definitely. The schedule was really tough for all of us. The second half was good things on both ends. Some mistakes, but more or less everything was in our hands.”
Wilbekin had 14 points while Ante Zizic posted 10 points plus six rebounds for Maccabi was outplayed by Zvezda, especially in the board department. The hosts grabbed 18 offensive rebounds against their opponents’ four and took advantage of several of their second-chance opportunities.
“We gave them too many cheap points, too many easy points, too many possessions that we weren’t concentrated enough and it hurt us in the crucial times,” Maccabi coach Avi Even said.