The losing streak of Maccabi Tel Aviv stopped last night (Sunday) in a somewhat strange way when the Yellows defeated Hapoel Eilat 95: 101 at home after two overtimes. It was the fourth game in the Premier League in the era of Yannis Sapropoulos in which Maccabi is dragged for two overtimes, and in all of them it managed to win, with the balance in the Euroleague game that came after it standing at two losses and one victory.
Maccabi came determined to put behind them the losses to Hapoel Holon and CSKA Moscow, and also started the game well with a double-digit advantage in the first quarter, but then there was a sharp decline in their game, Eilat gained confidence, turned the game and only a good end to James’ game Nanley and Jaylen Reynolds led to the first overtime, at the end of the first overtime Cameron Taylor saved Maccabi with a basket that included a lot of luck on the buzzer, and in the second overtime Maccabi already managed to overtake the tired southern rival.
Maccabi admitted at the end of the game that “no one wanted to be dragged into a game like this, but these are things that happen during a season, sometimes more than once,” as one club official said, “the important thing is to make a good recovery from this stage and get ready for Monaco on Wednesday.” The team even added, doubtless with laughter and doubt seriously, that they reminded the players who won the game after the hard effort.
“We need to know how to keep an advantage, play strong,” said Roman Sorkin, who scored 13 points and dropped 9 rebounds. “
Sorkin said of his connection with the other inside players, Ante Zizic and Jaylen Reynolds, “We all as a team we feel like family. Both the highs and the guards, we have good chemistry and it looks like this, among the highs it is more dominant, “But I feel that everyone is like that. Maybe a little more prominent among the tall ones.”