By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos crashed Maccabi Tel Aviv on the road with 61-81 and made another step forward towards sealing the homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Maccabi will be finishing this season with a 10-20 record.
Mike James (17 points), Chris Singleton (13 points) and Nick Calathes (12 points) led the Greens into a broad and easy victory in Tel Aviv.
In the first period, Victor Rudd (17 p.) signaled the attack for Maccabi, and with a 3-pointer attempt, the hosts were up 9-6. After 10 minutes, it was a six-point game in the hosts’ favor, 26-20.
The Israeli team kept a short head during the second quarter and with an 8-2 run was able to grab a double-digit lead at halftime, 42-32.
With a 10-point lead at 21′, Maccabi wasn’t expecting Panathinaikos‘ strong comeback to the game. With an incredible partial 12-31 score, the Greek team managed not only to cover the deficit, but also surpass before entering the final period with 54-63.
The visiting team stormed into the forth quarter with a 11-0 run, an indication that Maccabi had lost its motive to fight for the last Euroleague game of the season.