Anadolu Efes defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 105:91 in the EuroLeague’s 26th round, securing their 11th win of the season.
The home team was without Erkan Yilmaz, Dogus Ozdemiroglu, Daniel Oturu, Justus Hollatz, and Mike Daum. Lorenzo Brown was not available for the visitors.
The absence of arguably the best player from the Israeli team increased Anadolu Efes’s chances in this encounter. However, Maccabi Tel Aviv didn’t surrender to the opponent but rather effectively competed in an expectedly high-scoring game. Despite a double-digit performance by Shane Larkin early in the game, with just a plus two for the home team at the end of the first quarter, 29:27, it was a real shootout.
Offensive inspiration for both teams was slightly lower in the second quarter, during which Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to contain Larkin while Wade Baldwin and Bonzie Colson took charge for the Israeli team. This duo led the visitors to a comeback, alongside Antonius Cleveland, who was a real ‘X-factor’ with 10 points in the first half. Consequently, Maccabi Tel Aviv went into halftime with a one-point lead.
John Dibartolomeo took over the scoring role at the start of the second half, hitting two consecutive three-pointers to keep Maccabi Tel Aviv in the lead. However, it didn’t last long as the home team responded with an 8:0 run, taking control of the game. Will Clyburn also came alive, contributing to Tomislav Mijatovic’s team entering the final 10 minutes with a lead.
The home team managed to maintain their advantage until the end. They tightened their defense to some extent while maintaining their efficiency on the offensive end. After a creative pause, Larkin found his rhythm again, scoring his 22nd point of the game and giving his team an 11-point lead, after which there was no coming back for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The top scorer in the winning team was Shane Larkin with 22 points, followed by Rodrigue Beaubois with 20. In the losing team, the best performer was Wade Baldwin with 26 points.
Anadolu Efes now stands at a record of 11 wins and 15 losses, occupying the 12th place, while Maccabi Tel Aviv holds a record of 13 wins and 13 losses, sitting in the 10th position.
In the next round, Anadolu Efes will travel to Belgrade to play against Partizan, while Maccabi Tel Aviv will visit Alba Berlin.
ANADOLU EFES – MACCABI TEL AVIV 105:91 (29:27, 21:24, 27:24, 28:16)
Venue: “Arena Riga,” Riga
Referees: Perez, Latisevs, Thepenier
Anadolu Efes: Larkin 22, Beaubois 20, Bryant 4, Oncal, Gazi, Clyburn 10, Thompson 5, Yildizli, Pleiss 12, Osmani 13, Willis 9, Jones 10
Maccabi Tel Aviv: Cleveland 12, Webb 4, Baldwin 26, Menco, Sorkin 2, Dibartolomeo 10, Rivero 11, Cohen, Mayer, Nebo 11, Blatt 3, Colson 12