By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
It was a game with huge playoff implications as Unicaja Malaga defeated Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 83-69.
The home side kept the playoff dream alive, improving to 10-13 while Maccabi slipped to 12-11 but remained eight in the standings. This win also helped Baskonia which also has a 10-13 record, despite its loss to CSKA earlier today.
It was all about the early fourth quarter. Even though Maccabi had cut the lead to just five points, Unicaja thanks to Suarez’s three-pointer went on a 5-0 run, increasing their lead to double-digits for the first time (67-57). The deficit of Maccabi even increased to twelve points (78-66) with Nedovic being all over the court.
The 26-year old point guard, James Augustine, and McCallum were the go-to guys tonight as they won the battle against DeShaun Thomas and Deandre Kane. Nedovic not only scored 15 points (5/10 FG) and dished out 6 assists but he also provided some highlight plays on both ends. Augustine flirted with a double-double (12 p. 9 r.) while McCallum added 14 and was effective down the stretch.
On the other hand, Deandre Kane and DeShaun Thomas had great performances with 15 (7/9 FG) and 14 points (5/7 2FG) respectively but could not overcome Unicaja’s obstacle. Spahija’s team had 16 assists at the half but ended the game with 21, as Unicaja managed to shut the Israelis down.
The first half was competitive, even though Maccabi started the game off with a 7-0 run. Unicaja answered and eventually, the home side had a one-point advantage in the first twenty minutes (42-41).
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