By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv escaped from Berlin with a 95-88 victory against ALBA in Round 18 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The Israeli squad got back on track after back-to-back defeats and improved to a 12-6 record in the standings.
Elijah Bryant led the winners with his team-high performance of 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists. “I think my guys were finding me, every night it can be anyone’s night, so I think tonight I was able to hit my open shots and get some stops on defense and, like I said, hit some shots, so it was good”, he mentioned after the game.
Newly signed Jalen Reynolds also left his own impact on the court with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Scottie Wilbekin followed with 15 points.
Newly found chemistry for Maccabi
The visiting team showed its newly found chemistry right from the first quarter, leading 31-28, while slowed down in the second period. Maccabi enjoyed a five-point advantage at halftime (50-45), though the hosts constantly put pressure around the court.
As ALBA trimmed the deficit to single digits in the fourth, Quincy Acy stepped up with a three at 37′ to put the visitors once again in a double-digit lead with 88-76. With less than a minute to go, ALBA was back into a four-point deficit, though once again Acy and Wilbekin were there with decisive pairs of free throws that led to the final win.
It was a milestone night also for coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, who reached his 100th EuroLeague victory in Berlin, with fans celebrating at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
100 @EuroLeague wins for coach Giannis Sfairopoulos pic.twitter.com/BbMaP5wKON
— Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) January 9, 2020
Sfairopoulos talked about the team’s chemistry and new additions following the game. “Jalen [Reynolds] and also Aaron [Jackson], they started to pick up our philosophy, they’re not ready 100%, but that for sure they are much better than the previous game. But that was only after two practices. As long as they practice with us and as long as they play the games, they understand the philosophy”, he said.
At the same time, this marks ALBA’s second defeat in a row, now sinking to a 5-13 record. Martin Hermansson and Marcus Eriksson paced the German team with 16 and 12 points each.
Photo: EuroLeague