On Friday: Maccabi wants to triumph on the road again
After the win in Milan, the Yellows will try to defeat Bologna as well and return to Israel with a boost of confidence. Kattash: "They are experienced and talented". Cohen: "Concentration is key"
15/12/2022
HOME·News Archive· On Friday: Maccabi wants to triumph on the road again
After removing the task of getting a first Euroleague away win from its checklist, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv moves on to the next challenge - securing a second one. On Friday (9:30 pm Israel time, 2:30 pm EST), the Yellows will face Virtus Bologna, hoping to feed off the momentum, triumph again on Italian soil, and come back to Israel with a much-needed boost of confidence.
Sergio Scariolo's team built a squad full of experience and talent this summer. The impressive list of players includes Milos Teodosic, Tornike Shengelia, Jordan Mickey, Daniel Hackett, and Gabriel "Iffe" Lundberg, alongside former NBA champ Marco Belinelli. Despite all this, Bologna still struggles and won only 5 of its 13 games in the Euroleague.
"We want to maintain the level from the second half against Milano", said Oded Kattash ahead of Friday's game. "We were aggressive, focused, and controlled the boards. People tend to underestimate Milano these days but nothing comes easy".
When asked about his team's next opponent, the Yellows' coach added: "Bologna played well against Alba Berlin. They have a lot of experienced players and a 10-man squad that can present almost two different teams - one very fast and attacking and the other more slow and defensive - so we have to prepare for both styles of play".
Maccabi falls to Virtus Bologna away, 73:78
Despite battling hard and showing improved defense, the Yellows dropped a 7-point lead deep in the fourth quarter and lost to Scariolo's team. Brown scored 18
It was tough, it was close, and at times it looked like it would go Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's way, but eventually, it didn't. Twenty years after their last meeting, the Yellows faced Virtus Bologna - once a true European basketball giant - and ended up with a bitter loss, 73:78.
After the win in Milan on Tuesday, Maccabi again looked focused and showed resilient defense against a talented opponent. The Yellows trailed during most of the first half, but kept themselves close to the Italians, and managed to take the lead at the end of the third quarter with Lorenzo Brown's buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The momentum was all yellow at the beginning of the last quarter when Jalen Adams's points pushed Oded Kattash's team to a 7-point, lead five minutes to the end of the game. Unfortunately, that's when a drop in concentration came. Bologna took charge and produced a run that proved to be decisive.
Maccabi will now return to Israel to face Gilboa-Galil on Monday, before another away game in the Euroleague against Alba Berlin (Thursday).