Donatas Motiejunas got AS Monaco Basket off to a good start with 10 first-quarter points in a 93-88 Game 2 win against Fenerbahçe Beko in the 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Donatas Motiejunas led the way for Monaco in crucial Game 2 win

AS Monaco almost always turns to [Donatas Motiejunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/donatas-motiejunas/lcz/) on its first offense of the game, and that was once again the case on Friday night. In Game 2 against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, the 33-year-old scored a turnaround hook shot from the low post to give Monaco a 2-0 lead and result in the first cheer of the night from the Salle Gaston Medecin crowd.

Motiejunas went on to finish the night with a new career high in the postseason with 18 points, which was a team high, in a 93-88 win to even up the series. Having matched his previous high of 12 points in Game 1, Motiejunas quickly got down to business and finished the first quarter with 10 points in 6:56 minutes on the floor. He had the hot hand early and helped his team lead 31-21 at the end of the first 10 minutes.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🧪 𝘋𝘔𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖 💎<br><br>🌪 Énorme prestation de Donatas Motiejunas ce soir pour arracher ce game 2️⃣ ! 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/WBq9eKYxQl">pic.twitter.com/WBq9eKYxQl</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1783956197256638790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He netted a further 8 points over the next three quarters, with [Monaco going on to win 93-88](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/resurgent-monaco-beats-fenerbahce-93-88-to-even-the-series/) thanks to a dominant fourth quarter, but the Lithuanian once again showed why he is one of the leaders on this team. In the tough moments, the Monaco players knew that ‘D-Mo’ would be there, whether that was offering in the low post or playmaking from the center position.

“My teammates were finding me in open positions and I’m happy with that,” Motiejunas told EuroLeague TV afterward. “I’m happy to get this responsibility from the coach, to get this trust from my teammates. I know how to play basketball.”

AS Monaco center Donatas Motiejunas spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Donatas Motiejunas, Monaco: 'It was a rollercoaster'

Monaco has now won all three Game 2s that it has played, but the veteran big man knows that a tough test awaits when his squad travels to Istanbul for Games 3 and 4 next week.

“We’re going back to their home, so definitely it’s going to be hell, definitely it’s going to be a war,” he added. “We have some time to prepare, so we have to get to work.”

Game News

The Lithuanian center set a new personal best in postseason scoring

AS Monaco v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-04-26T17:00:00.000Z)

Barca throttles Olympiacos for 77-69 series-tying win

FC Barcelona kept visiting Olympiacos Piraeus on its heels all night to claim a bounce-back 77-69 win in Game 2 of the playoffs on Friday. The victory evens their series at 1-1 as the two teams head to Greece for a pair of games next week.

Jabari Parker was the steady scorer for Barca as he put up a season-high 24 points while making 4 of 7 three-pointers on the night. Willy Hernangomez trolled the inside for 11 points and Jan Vesely 10 to go with his 7 rebounds. Olympiacos got 20 points from Alec Peters and 10 each from Nigel Williams-Goss and Shaquielle McKissic.

### Barcelona took control early

Peters opened the scoring with a jumper, but Nicolas Laprovittola netted a hook and a triple before Vesely scored a midrange bucket to give Barcelona an early 7-2 lead. Peters added consecutive triples to put Olympiacos back in front before Parker and Luke Sikma traded baskets from inside at 9-10. Parker put Barca back in front from deep before Moustapha Fall and Nikola Kalinic traded baskets to make it 14-12. Hernangomez and Parker combined on 9 points as Barcelona opened its first double-digit lead, which Parker extended to 27-14 with buzzer-beating put-back on the 10-minute mark.

### McKissic got Olympiacos back in it

The visitors started the second quarter with a 0-6 run on free throws by Shaquielle McKissic and 4 points by Moses Wright to make it 27-20. Tomas Satoransky responded with a triple for Barcelona, but Williams-Goss trimmed the deficit to 30-22 with a floater. McKissic came to the rescue of the visitors with 8 points, including a nifty baseline dunk, to get Olympiacos within 34-30. Barcelona answered with a 7-0 surge of its own courtesy of Kalinic and Vesely combining on 8 points. The half ended with Vesely and Filip Petrusev exchanging baskets to leave Barca in front, 43-37.

Game Videos

### Olympiacos completed its comeback

Satoransky hit a fastbreak layup and Parker a three-pointer for another double-digit lead, 48-37, to start the third quarter. Walkup responded with a mid-range jumper and Luke Sikma hit from deep to keep Olympiacos in striking distance at 48-42. Peters converted a three-point play and Williams-Goss beat the shot clock with a triple off the glass as the guests surged to within 52-50. Parker responded with a slam, but Williams-Goss hit again from long distance before netting a layup for his team's first lead since the opening minutes, 54-55. Hernangomez scored twice around a floater by Rokas Jokubaitis as Barcelona went back in front, 58-57, after 30 minutes.

### Parker reasserted Barca's dominance

The two teams went scoreless for almost 2 minutes of the fourth quarter before Petrusev netted a floater and a layup on either side of an open triple by Abrines as Barcelona clung to a  63-61 edge. Parker then aced a corner three and Jokubaitis his patented midrange jumper to extend Barcelona's lead to 68-61 with 6 minutes left on the clock. Abrines responded to a Peters dunk with another triple and Parker netted again from the corner to make it 74-64 with 4 minutes left. Peters tried to make one last Olympiacos stand with 5 points for a 76-69 difference, but with just 2 minutes left, it was too late for the visitors as the series headed to Piraeus all tied up.

The series is even after Barcelona bounced back in style in Game 2.



Barca throttles Olympiacos for series-tying 77-69 win

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-04-24T19:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco Basket beat Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul 93-88 in Game 2 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Resurgent Monaco beats Fenerbahçe, 93-88, to even the series

AS Monaco hauled itself back into what is shaping up to be an enthralling Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff tie against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul after a captivating 93-88 Game 2 win levelled the series.

Donatas Moteijunas paced the home team with 18 points, while Jordan Lloyd added 15. Elie Okobo netted 13 and John Brown scored 11 for Monaco, which shot 11 of 21 from three-point range. At the other end, Tyler Dorsey led Fenerbahce with a game-high 25 points and Scottie Wilbekin added 23, but the support cast fell short as the Turkish side’s top scorer Nigel Hayes-Davis was the only other visiting performer in double figures with 10 points.

Reeling from a 91-95 overtime loss in Game 1, Monaco made a flying start and raced into a 9-0 lead before Dorsey got going for Fenerbahce and scored his team’s opening 11 points. The visiting team slashed the deficit to 14-11 before a 13-0 run by the hosts put Monaco out of sight late in the first quarter.

Trailing 31-21 at the end of the opening period, Fenerbahce clawed its way back into the contest in the second quarter thanks to a barrage of three-pointers, with Wilbekin netting 4 shots from downtown to keep the Turkish team breathing down Monaco’s neck.

Monaco was 54-50 up at halftime on the back of 12 points from the hard-working Moteijunas but the tide turned in the third quarter as Fenerbahce nosed ahead for the first time, 59-60, before it went on to take a seemingly decisive 65-74 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Just like he did in the first quarter, Dorsey again fired on all cylinders from deep as Fenerbahce’s quick transition of the ball had Monaco in all sorts of trouble, while Georgios Papagiannis did a great job as a rim protector at the other end. 

However, Fenerbahce’s long-range artillery dried up in the fourth quarter as Monaco found another gear on the defensive end, conjuring  a 12-1 streak to retake the lead, 77-75. The visitors briefly regained control to edge ahead 77-79 but Monaco then engineered a 7-0 run to take the lead for good, 84-79.

It was a tit-for-tat battle in the closing stages before Loyd settled the contest with a long three which redressed the balance in the series and sent a vociferous home crowd into raptures.  

Mike James of AS Monaco looks to get past Scottie Wilbekin of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Game 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

The French side forced the final twist in the fourth quarter thanks to ironclad defense and a flowing team effort down the stretch

Resurgent Monaco beats Fenerbahce, 93-88, to even the series

The 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs feature some of the signature dunkers of the entire competition.

Playoff Dunkers: Vesely vs. McKissic

Dunks may only count as two points, but they have untold extra value for firing up the dunker's team and demoralizing the opponent. When you talk about players whose slam dunks have lit up highlight reels for years, you couldn't do much better than Jan Vesely of FC Barcelona and Shaquille McKissic of Olympiacos Piraeus. Their teams are now going head-to-head for a spot in the 2024 Final Four in Berlin. Watch for Jan or Shaq to take it above the rim and change the momentum in this series!

PLAYOFF DUNKERS: Jan Vesely vs. Shaquielle McKissic

Playoff Dunkers: Jan Vesely vs. Shaq McKissic

The Olympiacos guard plays sparingly but his spirit is infectious.

Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos: 'I wanted to test myself'

Hustle. Energy. Passion. Those are three intangibles that perfectly describe local hero [Giannoulis Lartentzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/giannoulis-larentzakis/010392/) of Olympiacos Piraeus. He is currently in his fourth straight Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season – all of them with the Reds – and he has settled for being a reliable role player that all his teammates can count on.

"I wanted to test myself to see if I could compete at this level," Larentzakis explains. "The coach gave me a chance and I took full advantage of it."

This season, Larentzakis is averaging 5.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32 appearances off the bench at more than 13 minutes per game. Numbers don't do full justice to Larentzakis's strengths, however.

"He's a fighter," teammate Isaiah Canaan asserts. "As a teammate, you can't ask any more from one of your teammates that you go out there to war with."

Olympiacos is currently leading a best-of-five playoff series against FC Barcelona with the goal of reaching its third consecutive Final Four in Berlin next May. The secret behind that level of excellence?

"The coach's philosophy is mostly based on the relationships between teammates, between players and the coaching staff," Larentzakis reveals. "I hope we keep working together for a long time."

It's a recipe that could lead Olympiacos to its fourth European crown. The next step: Game 2 at Palau Blaugrana on Friday night.

Real Madrid guard Facu Campazzo was back to his best on Thursday night, scoring and assisting in a 101-90 Game 2 win against Baskonia in the 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Facu Campazzo has rediscovered his best form at just the right time

Coming off a game in which he played just 18:15 minutes, his third-lowest tally of the season, [Facu Campazzo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/facundo-campazzo/005928/) was ready to make things happen against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday night.

Real Madrid got its playoff campaign off to a great start in Game 1, [winning 90-74](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/real-blasts-baskonia-90-74-in-series-opener/) on a night that saw Campazzo amass 10 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers. A couple of days later, the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion became the only playoff team to move to 2-0 by [defeating Baskonia 101-90](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/real-madrid-knocks-off-baskonia-in-game-2-101-90/) in Game 2.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got the MVP of the night in the locker room🤳<br><br>24 points and 7 assists tonight for <a href="https://twitter.com/facucampazzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@facucampazzo</a> 📈<a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> <a href="https://t.co/TiRYRkqASe">pic.twitter.com/TiRYRkqASe</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1783606759778578651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Having had a so-so end to the regular season and a relatively quiet start to the playoffs, the Argentine point guard put on a show for the WiZink Center crowd in Game 2, finishing the game with a postseason career high of 24 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 7 assists.

Campazzo broke the 20-point barrier for just the third time this season, having had a career-high 33 points in Round 11 and 25 points in Round 19, and 14 of those points came in a helter-skelter first half that was played at an incredibly high pace. After the break, however, the 33-year-old began to dictate the play and Real Madrid soon took control, with Campazzo dishing 5 helpers in the second half.

Facundo Campazzo had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists in Real Madrid's Game 2 win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Campazzo's highlights vs. Baskonia

“I think we played two different games,” Campazzo told EuroLeague TV afterward. “In the first half, we had some ups and downs but we stayed together. In the second half, we played with more hustle, way smarter than the first quarter. This team is \[a lot more\] dangerous when we pass the ball to one another, so we’ve got to keep doing that next week.”

### Eyeing EuroLeague glory

There’s no question that Campazzo playing at this level elevates Real Madrid as a team. As the only senior member of the roster who was not a part of last year’s title-winning squad, there is an added hunger inside the playmaker. He has, admittedly, already won two EuroLeague titles – in 2015 and 2018 – but doing so in his first season back in the Spanish capital would be something special.

With Real Madrid leading 2-0 after Games 1 and 2, the series now heads to Vitoria-Gasteiz. In Game 3, Baskonia will host Chus Mateo’s men at Buesa Arena – and Campazzo isn’t expecting an easy contest.

“We want to play with hustle, take smart decisions,” he noted. “Like I said before, today one guy can score, the next game another guy can score. This team is capable of that. We’ve got to keep doing this, keep fighting, keep playing with hustle because it’s the only way. Every game is going to be different from now on, so we’ve got to be ready for a tough game in the third one.”

After an explosive Game 2 performance, Facundo Campazzo of Real Madrid talks about the attitude that has his team one win away from a Final Four return.

Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid: 'We want to play with hustle'

That hustle that Campazzo touches on there was certainly on display late on Thursday night. With Real Madrid leading 101-88 and 30 seconds to go, the Argentine dived to the floor three times to try to keep the ball inbounds. The game was well and truly over at that point, but his effort was a sign that *Los Blancos* are not taking anything for granted; they are completely locked in.

Campazzo ended up earning a round of applause from the WiZink Center crowd for his efforts, capping off an excellent night that saw him earn MVP of the Game honors.

Facundo Campazzo earned a round of applause from the WiZink Center crowd after a hustle play in the final seconds of Real Madrid's Game 2 win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Campazzo's hustle play in 4Q vs. Baskonia

Real Madrid now needs just one more win to return to the Final Four for the 10th time this century, and Campazzo and co. will be looking to complete the series sweep when Game 3 takes place next Wednesday night.

Campazzo seems to have rediscovered his best form at just the right time, which should be a warning to not only Baskonia but also Real Madrid's potential opponents at the Final Four.

Real Madrid's Facundo Campazzo celebrates during his team's Game 2 win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Whether he was scoring or assisting, the Argentine wizard was front and center in Game 2

Real Madrid v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024-04-25T19:00:00.000Z)

Kostas Sloukas and Ioannis Papapetrou combined for 42 points in the remaining three quarters as Panathinaikos took charge 75-51 to win the game by 16 and even the series.

Greens leaned on vets Sloukas, Papapetrou to bounce back

When the first quarter came to a close on Thursday night at OAKA Altion, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was in a hole. The Greens were down 1-0 in the series against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and trailing 20-28.

So who better to lean on than the team’s two most experienced players? Kostas Sloukas and Ioannis Papapetrou combined for 42 points in the remaining three quarters as Panathinaikos took charge 75-51 to win the game by 16 and even the series.

Sloukas, who played 3 minutes and made his only shot in the first quarter, played 26 of the last 30 minutes and finished with a career high 29 points. Papapetrou played 27 minutes in the last three quarters and scored a season-high 15.

Naturally, they were the players their head coach, Ergin Ataman, singled out after the game. And he spoke more about their defense than their scoring.

Ioannis Papapetrou was the x-factor in Game 2

“Starting in the second quarter, especially after Sloukas came into the game, we started to make good defense, excellent defense,” Ataman said of the point guard. “Tonight, Sloukas offensively was perfect, maybe one of his best games of his career. Also on defense he put pressure on Lorenzo Brown.

“Papapetrou make a good job in defense against Bonzie Colson, who was one of the most important players in the first game that we lost.”

The numbers back up Ataman’s claims. Sloukas led all players in +/- with +27. Papapetrou was third with +21.

They first stepped up in the second quarter with Maccabi ahead 30-36. Sloukas then scored Panathinaikos’s next 11 points before Papapetrou accounted for 5 in a row to trigger a 19-2 run that gave the Greens the lead for good.

They were needed again in the fourth after the visitors rallied to within 71-68. Sloukas and Papapetrou accounted for 7 points and 3 assists in a 13-2 run that put the game on ice.

“There is no question about the quality of Sloukas, but more that quality, he is a leader,” Ataman went on to say. “Tonight he showed his quality. This will be very important for us in the next games.”

Seeing a huge game from Sloukas was not too surprising, considering that he was one of the club’s marquee signings over the summer and expected to deliver specifically in big games such as these in the playoffs. However, Papapetrou did not enter the game in the same situation.

Limited to only 11 regular-season games due to injury, he played just 2:44 in Game 1 and did not score. That led to a particularly motivated 30-year-old, who was asked after the game about the fact that he was seen on the court at OAKA shooting jumpers with his brother long after the game was over.

After making a cameo in Game 1, veteran Ioannis Papapetrou was a force for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as it evenen up its series with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Ioannis Papapetrou, Panathinaikos: 'The series starts now'

“I watched a lot of basketball but didn’t play much, so I went to practice straight after. It’s been my philosophy my entire career, through ups and downs I always want to be ready and help the team,” Papapetrou said.

He not only helped the team by making 4 of 7 three-pointers and adding 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, but Papapetrou helped limit Colson to just 6 points and 4 boards.

“I am very proud of our performance. We put in a lot of hustle, although we didn’t play as we planned in the first quarter,” Sloukas said. “I tried to do my best for the team, it was important to be mentally strong for this game.”

Panathinaikos will surely be happy to allow Sloukas and Papapetrou to make sure the team is ‘mentally strong’ in Belgrade next week when they play Games 3 and 4 of the series against Maccabi.

The two led big Panathinaikos runs to take the lead for good and later put the game away

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-04-25T18:15:00.000Z)

Real Madrid guard Sergio Llull was honored before Game 2 against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and then significantly helped his team to get a 101-90 victory.

Sergio Llull's double celebration

It was a special night for Real Madrid guard [Sergio Llull](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-llull/tgb/). The veteran was honored before Game 2 of his team's playoff series against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, then played a significant role in helping his team to record [a 101-90 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/real-madrid-knocks-off-baskonia-in-game-2-101-90/) to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. 

In Game 1, Llull became the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leader in made three-pointers, moving past former FC Barcelona great [Juan Carlos Navarro](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juan-carlos-navarro/adi/). Of course, that fact did not go unnoticed and Real honored him in a pre-game ceremony, which saw club president Florentino Perez hand him a special jersey with number 624 (the number of three-pointers he'd made before Game 2). A commemorative video was shown on the scoreboard, too.

"It was amazing. I have no words," Llull said after the game. "I feel the love of the people and I think they love the way I play, always giving 100%, so I am really happy. Two or three months ago, everybody was \[already\] talking about that record and I am really happy to get it, really proud. But the important thing is the team."

### Focused on the job at hand

Once the game started, Llull made sure he did everything in his power to help Real stay 100% in the series.

Llull buried his 625th three-pointer in the competition right at the end of the first quarter, beating the buzzer to give Real a 23-21 edge. Llull went on to hit two more shots from downtown to help Real make it a double-digit game for the first time, 37-27.

"We were focused from the beginning, trying to control Baskonia's strong points, and then on offense playing as a team, moving the ball well," Llull added, before stressing that health has been one of Real's biggest advantages so far in the postseason.

"I believe the team is feeling well. We are healthy, which is important at this time of the season. The team knows that the important moment of the season has arrived and this is when we have to give 100%, when we have to play well and win games."

In just over 17 minutes, Real Madrid guard Sergio Llull had 13 points on 2 of 3 two-pointers and 3 of 5 three-pointers, adding 2 rebounds and 3 assists for a PIR of 14.

Llull steps up in Game 2

In just over 17 minutes, Llull had 13 points on 2-of-3 two-pointers and 3-of-5 three-pointers, adding 2 rebounds and 3 assists for a PIR of 14.

"I am feeling well, physically well, which is important for me to give the team all I can offer."

Llull faces another challenge next week: becoming the second-ever player to reach 10 Final Fours since the format was chosen in 1988. Victor Khryapa holds the record with 12 Final Four appearances. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens playmaker Kostas Sloukas can also reach his 10th Final Four in this postseason.

Above all, Llull knows that the job is far from finished. Real needs three more victories to successfully defend its EuroLeague title for the first time since 1968.

"I want the big trophy," Llull stated. "So I just can't play without thinking about nothing else."

Sergio Llull puts his hands to his head during Real Madrid's Game 2 win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a special night, which involved a pre-game ceremony and another playoff win

Sergio Llull's double celebration 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv looked capable of staging another upset at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens after an impressive 87-91 win in Game 1 of their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff series, but the visitors ultimately came undone by their own torrid pace which saw them surge ahead in the first quarter of Game 2.

Inconsistency and Baldwin’s absence cost Maccabi in Game 2 

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv looked capable of staging another upset at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens after an impressive 87-91 win in Game 1 of their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff series, but the visitors ultimately came undone by their own torrid pace which saw them surge ahead in the first quarter of Game 2.

With Panathinaikos still reeling from that loss, Maccabi fired on all cylinders in the opening 10 minutes and raced into a 20-28 lead as Jake Cohen poured 10 points in the first quarter.

However, the absence of top performer Wade Baldwin, who limped off with a hamstring injury late in Game 1, turned out to be a devastating blow and Panathinaikos duly took advantage to turn Game 2 on its head, winning 95-79 in front of a fervent home crowd.

Antonius Cleveland's highlights from Game 2

Baldwin, who racked up 15 points and 7 assists in Game 1, could only watch helplessly as Panathinaikos turned a 35-38 second-quarter deficit into a 56-39 lead early in the third quarter and then wrapped up the win on the back of a superb performance from Kostas Sloukas.

Cohen and Antonius Cleveland were among the most productive Maccabi players in Game 2 but the latter acknowledged that without Baldwin, who averages 17.9 and 4.9 assists per game, beating a team as resourceful as Panathinaikos twice in as many days on the road was always going to be a tall order.

“We fell behind in what we’ve been doing all year and they hit some big shots,” Cleveland said in the locker room after the game. “Things didn’t go our way, but it’s a series.

“We need our best player back, it’s different without him. There was one possession where they got 8 points in a row and that gave them an impetus. A minute or two of bad basketball shifted the game in their favor but we’ll regroup, talk about it and we’ll be ready for Game 3.

“We wanted to go 2-0 up but at the end of the day we’ve got a chance to win the series on home court and that’s what it’s all about.”

Cohen hit the ground running as he netted 10 points in the first quarter for his first double-figure tally of the season and the most he’s scored in a EuroLeague game since January 2020. The forward acknowledged that Maccabi paid the price for lapses in concentration against a team always capable of taking a mile even if given only an inch.

“It was a tough night,” said Cohen. “We weren’t consistent for 40 minutes but I think we can take a lot of positives, we need to make some adjustments and come back strongly.”

Head coach Oded Kattash echoed Cohen’s thoughts. “To win here in such an atmosphere and under such pressure, you have to be focused for 40 minutes. We did a lot of good things tonight but we were not focused for about 5 minutes in each half.

“We started the game well and played the right way the opening 15 minutes. Some of the players are exhausted as they spent a lot of minutes on the court but despite not winning, we showed character just like we did in Game 1. However, they got us on the offensive rebounds and made some big shots.

“Hopefully we are going to get Wade back into the series, we’ll see. Either way, we’re going to keep on fighting as that’s what we do. I wish we could do it in Tel Aviv in front of our crowd, but unfortunately, that’s not the situation.”

The Israeli side fell victim to its own pace as key player was out injured