By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv opened the 2024/25 season in the EuroLeague with a win over ASVEL at Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.
After the game, Maccabi gave the players the option to stay in Serbia since the Winner Cup finals and the first round of the league were postponed due to the ongoing situation in Israel. The foreign players, except Jaylen Hoard, will stay in Belgrade.
Coach Oded Kattash shared his remarks on the match at the postgame press conference.
“I’m very happy with the win. We found a way to win, though it wasn’t pretty for most of the game, especially defensively. What made the difference was some adjustments we made in the second half. In the first half, both teams couldn’t find the right defensive solutions, but to be honest, I cannot expect everything to be perfect. We are still in the process of building something new, but we have to find ways to win. It wasn’t pretty, but I liked how we stayed in the game, how hard we fought, and the players’ body language… The defense made the difference,” Kattash said.
In Round 2 of the EuroLeague, Maccabi will visit Monaco, with the match scheduled for October 9th.