By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Milos Teodosic has had some great games this season, but it seems he saved the best for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
With one of his career-best performances, the experienced Serbian point guard led Crvena Zvezda to their first away victory, even though the match was played in Belgrade, as they defeated Maccabi 92-98 in Round 16 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Teodosic concluded the game with 27 points and tied a career-high with 14 assists.
He achieved a double-double early in the second half. He shot 6/9 from three, was perfect from the free-throw line, stole two balls, and grabbed two rebounds. All of this resulted in a PIR of 40 (his record is 43).
“It was a fantastic team reaction after the Real game. I hope we won’t continue with the pattern of inconsistency now. From this match, we need to draw out all the positives, grow as a team, and elevate our form. I had 14 assists because of my teammates. I hope I can distribute 20, but again, it depends on my teammates,” Teodosic said.
It must be added that Joel Bolomboy accompanied him exceptionally well with 20 points and six rebounds for a PIR of 24, along with Rokas Giedraitis, who scored all of his points in the third quarter and finished the game with 16. A valuable contribution in the first half was also made by Mike Tobey, who finished with 12 points.
“Milos was incredible today; his talent and skills truly shone through. He deserves high praise for his performance. Everyone contributed significantly, including Lazic with five fouls,” coach Giannis Sfairopoulos said.
Wade Baldwin shined for Maccabi with 22 points and a PIR of 30, Lorenzo Brown added 20 points, while Josh Nebo had 18 with seven rebounds. But it wasn’t enough against brilliant Teodosic.
“They are very well-coached by an excellent coach. They played at a high tempo, controlling everything. We chased them for most of the game; they defeated us twice last season. We’ll have to find a solution for them. We changed defenders on Teodosic, but he still found a way to impact the game. It’s never easy during a double week in the EuroLeague. The better team won tonight,” Maccabi’s coach Oded Kattas said.
Crvena Zvezda faced Maccabi with solid defense, though initially struggling on offense. Milos Teodosic’s entry proved decisive as the offense finally clicked, and the Belgrade team started building a lead. Teodosic’s magical show continued into the second half, securing a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists early in the third period.
Despite Maccabi’s attempts at a comeback, Crvena Zvezda, led by the Serbian point guard and with a great effort from Giedraitis, maintained control. Dejan Davidovac’s crucial offensive rebounds thwarted Maccabi’s efforts in the final quarter. The red and whites comfortably secured their sixth victory of the season, marking their first away win, with Maccabi hosting them in Belgrade due to ongoing conflicts in Israel.
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net