Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv enters the EuroLeague's final phase, recognizing the need to pick up as many wins as possible if it intends for a late playoff push. The 11 game stretch opens up on Thursday as the Yellow & Blue face Bayern Munich (21:30, Live on Sport5 - Channel 55) in the Audi Dome. Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad holds a 10:13 record while the Germans sit in 6th place with 15 wins and 10 losses. 

The Israeli champions will be without Yovel Zoosman, who'll be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks suffering a right knee injury in the last domestic game. Scottie Wilbekin (right thumb) and Othello Hunter (flu), who've missed the past two games, joined the trip, and a final decision about their availability will be announced after shootarounds. Encourage update comes from Omri Casspi, who participated in a contact team practice for the first time in over a month, and he's questionable coming into the matchup.



"We face a Bayern squad that plays really good at their home court, and they've been fighting to hold on to their position in the top 8", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos before departing to Germany. "We have some challenges ahead of us if we want to clinch a playoff berth, and from now on, each game will be a finals type contest. We know that as we get closer to the end of the season, we need to get the results, so we'll need to fight to get there, and for us, Thursday's game is a very important one. We'll need to play a good game on both ends of the court and focus on following our gameplan". 

The Greek coach spoke about the transition between the local league to the European competition: "We need to bring the same energy we've been showing in the Israeli League also to the EuroLeague. With the rotations we've prepared the past couple of games, the players will have physical and mental energy to bring it out on the court".



"Everybody is looking forward to this long stretch ahead of crucial games", Added Dragan Bender towards the expected set of games. "We all know the goals that we've set, and that's qualifying for the playoffs. To do that, we need to take it day by day, game by game, and as long as we'll stay focused on each game, that will help us a lot in the long run".

"We remember Bayern beat us here in the first matchup, they are a really good overall team on both ends of the floor, and they've been playing well this season. It's going to be a challenging game for us going out there and playing a good game, especially on the defensive end, cutting down some things they've been doing really well this season".



Angelo Caloiaro noted the importance of this coming contest for the future of the European season: "It's kind of the end of the season in the EuroLeague, so if we are going to make a playoff push, it has to start now. The game in Munich is a very big one for us, we haven't been amazing this season, but we are still in the thick of things, and we can still go on a run with these last 11 games".

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv acknowledged the importance of a road victory in Munich for the playoff run and appeared to be in a great position heading into the final quarter but couldn't come through with a bitter 70:72 defeat to Bayern Munich. The Israeli champions played their 13th EuroLeague contest in which the game went wire to wire, and the margin ended up at four or lower. With the loss today, Maccabi's record in those games falls to 4:9 and overall to 10:14 in the European season.

The Yellow & Blue can be encouraged from Omri Casspi's return, who missed the last month and a half due to a stomach virus. Scottie Wilbekin, who missed the past two contests, contributed 10 points and 5 assists as Ante Zizic led the scorers with 16 points and 10 rebounds.   



Game Recap:

Maccabi opened the contest with Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Angelo Caloiaro, Dragan Bender, and Ante Ziziz, while Bayern started with Wade Baldwin, Nick Weiler-Babb, Vladimir Lucic, Jajuan Johnson, and Leon Radosevic.

Bayern scored four early points in the first minute, but the Yellow & Blue locked down defensively, stopping the hosts scoreless for the 4:30 minutes as Caloiaro dished three assists to Zizic and Bender, which gave Maccabi an 11:4 lead. 

Sandy Cohen (back-to-back triples) and Tyler Dorsey (4 straight points to close out the quarter) came sharply off the bench extending the edge. Ex Maccabi Jalen Reynolds responded on the other end with nine points reducing the margin, 21:18 after 10 minutes.



Sfairopoulos's squad continued to play smart basketball. Wilbekin dished multiple assists to Zizic inside, later the American guard knocked down a shot from behind the arc, and after over a month out, Omri Casspi returned to the court and immediately laid in two, 32:26. 

However, Bayern gained momentum, scoring seven unanswered points grabbing the edge but a Bender three-pointer, and Dorsey recaptured the lead, closing out the first half with a one-point margin, 38:37.

The Yellow & Blue started the second half aggressively, stopping the Reds on two points in the first five minutes as Wilbekin provided 5 points of Maccabi's 10 points, including a three-point possession, 48:39. Reynolds reduced the margin down to 5, but Chris Jones, with a beautiful drive and layup, maintained the advantage heading to the final 10 minutes, 58:51.



The fourth quarter didn't start well for Sfairopoulos's squad as Baldwin scored 5 of Bayern's 9:2 stretch, tying the game at 60. Baldwin continued his incredible period providing the hosts a four point edge as Zizic scored back-to-back buckets inside, keeping them in the thick of things, 70:66.

40 seconds to the final buzzer, the Croatian big man slammed a dunk, and John DiBartolomeo, with a crucial steal on the defensive end, laid in two, tying the game at 70. Maccabi was close to stealing the ball, but Weiler-Babb drew a foul and converted twice from the free-throw line giving the hosts a two-point advantage. 

With 9 seconds left, Wilbekin had one last shot but missed a three on the buzzer. Bayern beat Maccabi in Munich, 72:70.

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