The home team lost Maledon early in the game with a thumb injury
Maccabi prevails in offensive battle against ASVEL, 95-102

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv defeated LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 95-102 at LDLC Arena on Friday night to clinch its eighth in a row against the French powerhouse. The visitors escaped 24-35 early in the second period and led for most of the second half, but they needed to overcome an ASVEL rally in the fourth period as the hosts made it 81-80 with eight minutes remaining. A good reaction led by Jimmy Clark, Marial Shayok and Jasiel Rivero reanimated the guests and allowed them to close out the game and improve to 8-20. ASVEL fell to 11-17 after collecting its fifth defeat in a row.
Levi Randolph led six Maccabi players in double figures with 19 points. Roman Sorkin, Clark, Rivero and Shayok scored 15 apiece, while Trevion Williams poured in 13. Nando de Colo paced ASVEL with 20 points and 8 assists, Melvin Ajinca had 14 points, Paris Lee added 12, and Joffrey Lauvergne and Neal Sako chipped in 10, with the latter also grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double.
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With Sorkin and Rivero dominating inside, Maccabi took an early 0-5 lead that lasted for more than four minutes before De Colo hit the first three of the night to make it 7-5. Free throws by Lee and Sako allowed ASVEL to stay ahead until Randolph tied it from behind the arc, 10-10, after seven minutes. The home team seemed to have taken control when Tarik Black made a three-point play that built an 18-12 edge, but back-to-back triples by Shayok and Clark evened things at 20-20 at the end of the first period.
Maccabi started very strong offensively and managed to extend its streak to 2-14, good for a double-digit lead, 22-31, early in the second. With John DiBartolomeo and Clark pulling the strings on offense, and using zone defense for many minutes, the visitors maintained a double-digit lead, 34-44. Veterans De Colo and Lauvergne then took over and even though defensive flaws penalized the hosts, ASVEL managed to recover, trailing by just two points, 51-53, at halftime, with the duo providing 12 of ASVEL’s last 17 points in the quarter.
Both teams remained red-hot on offense after the break as an exchange of three-pointers between Blatt and Ajinca made it 59-63 for Maccabi with just three minutes played in the period. De Colo trimmed the gap to 62-65 with his 500th career three-pointer soon after, then Ajinca also hit from deep, and Shaquille Harrison finished a fast break to make it all square, 67-67. Williams and Sorkin helped the visitors rebuild a short lead that Clark extended to 67-75 with a monster dunk after a steal. Then, De Colo showed up again and avoided an early escape with 5 points in a row that closed the third period with Maccabi leading 72-78.
Clark’s fourth foul and another three-pointer by De Colo revitalized ASVEL, which completed the rally and regained an 81-80 advantage after Lee turned De Colo’s assist into a fast-break triple with eight minutes to go. Clark returned to the game and immediately delivered one dish and a couple of fast breaks to boost Maccabi, 83-87. Consecutive three-point plays by ASVEL gave the home crowd a spark, but Shayok and Rivero joined Clark on offense to maintain a 92-96 edge for Maccabi entering crunch time. The hosts had another chance as a three-point play off an offensive rebound by Sako made it a one-point game. Nevertheless, Maccabi punished ASVEL through Rivero, who converted under the rim to keep a 95-98 margin. A long three by De Colo didn’t find the net on the following possession and free throws by Randolph sealed the outcome with 23 seconds to go.