Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv looks to continue its progress up the EuroLeague standings on Wednesday, facing ASVEL Villeurbanne on the road as part of the 14th fixture of the 2020/21 season (21:45, Live on Sport5 - Channel 55). The Israeli champions carry a 5:8 record, winning the last two European contests as the Frenchmen sit at 3:9 after suffering a corona outbreak, which hurt the team earlier this season.

Wednesday's game will be Maccabi's 5th straight road game they'll finish the trip on Friday at Barcelona. The Yellow & Blue hold a 3:0 head to head record against Villeurbanne, including two wins over the French side in 2004/5.

Ex Maccabi Norris Cole, who helped Maccabi lift the Israeli league title in 2018, has been the French top offensive force scoring 11.1 points and dishing 4 assists per night. T.J. Parker's roster also contains center Moustapha Fall, David Lighty, Antoine Diot, Charles Kahudi, Allerik Freeman, and Guerschon Yabusele.

"Villeurbanne is a very long and athletic squad who shoot really well from outside ranking second from spot-on shooting", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos before departing to France. "We'll need to contest their shooters, fight for every possession, and be ready to play a physical game. We'll need to be very concentrated and focused on following our game plan because they're a dangerous team and a very good one as I believe their record doesn't show their real quality". 



Scottie Wilbekin, who's ranked fourth in points this season with 17 points per game, spoke about the impact of having a full roster: "We definitely didn't have the start we wanted, but I feel like now we're starting the season from the standpoint of having all of our weapons. There's excitement and confidence from the team, not that we didn't have it before, but now we know what we've had available for us, and we're just excited to move forward. This is the team we want to be, a team that anybody can have a big night and lead us on the scoring end because we have a lot of guys that can easily score 15 - 20 points in one night". 

"During these double rounds, we need to take it one game at a time, stay focused on what we have in front of us and then deal with the next game after that", Added Elijah Bryant towards the long EuroLeague week. "The whole EuroLeague is established by high-level teams, so we can't underestimate any of our opponents. Like coach says, we respect all our opponents and treat them as the best team in the league even if they aren't playing like that right now".

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv came to France with a two-game winning streak but couldn't add on after dropping the game to Villeurbanne, 81:84. The Israeli champions chased the French squad throughout the whole contest and forced a close clash but missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final possession.

In the second half, Scottie Wilbekin showed up great on both ends of the court, finishing the night with 25 points, but the Yellow & Blue dug a deep hole and couldn't complete the comeback. Dragan Bender (11 points) and Elijah Bryant (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) each had a solid overall game. The 5:9 Maccabi finish off their 6 game road trip on Friday, playing against Barcelona, leaders of the EuroLeague standings.

Chris Jones, Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Angelo Caloiaro, and Ante Zizic started for Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad. On the other end, Antoine Diot, Allerik Freeman, David Lighty, Guerschon Yabusele, and Moustapha Fall opened for T.J's Parker's unit.



The Yellow & Blue's points came from deep as Wilbekin and Jones knocked down shots from deep while the French side worked their points inside with Lighty and Fall, 8:8. Wilbekin found a lane to the bucket and converted a three-point possession, Bryant dished an assist to Dragan Bender, who slammed it down and added a triple, as Fall (7 points), Yabusele and Freeman kept working their way in the paint, giving Parker's squad a 7 point edge. 

Ex Maccabi Norris Cole came off the host's bench, scored 4 points while Bender kept the Yellow & Blue in striking range, collecting 10 first-quarter, 24:30 after 10 minutes of play.

Mathew Strazel hit Villeurbanne's first triple of the evening, Tyler Dorsey found Othello Hunter beautifully inside for an easy slam, but yet again, Ismael Bako operated close to the rim, opening a double-digit advantage, 26:36. John DiBartolomeo shot in a three-pointer, which cut the edge down to six, but Fall dominated in the paint, leading his team with 13 points, retrieving a comfortable 14 point lead. 

Wilbekin converted five consecutive free throws as part of a 7:0 run, 39:46. Cole hit two mid-range jumpers, but Zizic slammed down the final points of the half, 41:50.



Villeurbanne scored 5 quick points to begin the second half. Still, the Yellow & Blue responded, ramping it up defensively as Bryant and Wilbekin scored 9 unanswered points, including tough fadeaway jumpers in the paint, reducing the French lead down to 4, 51:55. 

Paul Lacombe hit two important buckets stopping Maccabi's run, and Cole carried the French to a 6 point edge, but Wilbekin came in for the final shot of the third and drilled a buzzer-beating triple, 64:67.

Dorsey knocked in his second shot from deep, but then the Yellow & Blue were stopped scoreless for over 3 minutes as Amine Noua shot in three straight buckets leading the hosts on a 9:0 stretch, recapturing a double-digit advantage, 67:78. Wilbekin produced 7 of Maccabi's 11 points, hitting five crucial points and dishing an alley hoop pass to Hunter, who slammed it down, reducing the score down to 2, 78:80.

Cole hit his 6th shot and in the next possession found Noua, who drove to the bucket and slammed it down, giving the French side a 6 point lead with a minute left on the game clock. Bryant missed a deep shot after stealing the ball, but Caloiaro grabbed a decisive offensive board and drew a foul, converting a three-point possession, 81:84. With 10 seconds left, Wilbekin received one final shot, but the ball went left. Villeurbanne beat Maccabi 84:81.

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