In the 15th round of the EuroLeague, Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Baskonia 89-81 on neutral ground in Belgrade.
The game was marked by numerous ups and downs on both sides. Maccabi had a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but Baskonia managed to go into halftime with a slight advantage (47-49). Until the middle of the fourth quarter, the game was mostly back and forth, but in crucial moments, Baskonia lacked proper solutions in the offense, while Maccabi managed to get to the free-throw line and secure easy points that ultimately decided the winner.
Josh Nebo was the standout player of the match. The Maccabi center finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He was closely followed by James Webb, who also scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Markus Howard was the top scorer for Baskonia with 19 points.
With this victory, Maccabi improved to a 9-6 record in the EuroLeague, and on Thursday, they will play another game at the “Aleksandar Nikolic” arena against Crvena Zvezda. Baskonia now holds an 8-7 record, and their next opponent is Anadolu Efes. This matchup is scheduled for Friday in Istanbul.
At the beginning of the game, Maccabi had a strategy to exploit Josh Nebo to the maximum, gaining an early lead with easy points (16:9). Vanja Marinkovic and Markus Howard responded with three-pointers, and towards the end of the first quarter, the guests, through Maik Kotsar and Khalifa Diop, found some easy points at the rim (22:22).
Maccabi established a significant lead early in the second quarter, stretching it to 38:28 after a three-pointer by James Webb. Baskonia mounted a comeback initiated by Howard with two more successful three-pointers, and the turnaround was completed by Marinkovic and Tadas Sedekerskis with their 11-0 run to end the first half (47:49).
Marinković and Sedekerskis continued their impressive performance at the start of the third quarter. However, Maccabi had an answer this time, led by Tamir Blatt and Roman Sorkin. The Israeli representatives hit back-to-back three-pointers, reclaiming the lead for the nominal home team (60:59). From that point until the middle of the final quarter, the game remained neck and neck.
The turning point occurred when Howard lost the ball with the score at 81:79, and Webb on the other end sank both free throws for a +4 lead (83:79). Chima Moneke missed an opportunity to bring the deficit back to one possession, and Bonzie Colson’s basket sealed the game. In the end, Maccabi increased the lead to the final score of 89:81.