Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Baskonia Vitoria-Gastiez both have a lot in common.
What to watch for in Maccabi vs. Baskonia
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The two teams boast star-studded backcourts and athletic frontlines. They play up-tempo games and both score a lot and allow a lot of points. Their head coaches were noted scorers as players, too. And they are almost even in their all-time head-to-head record, with Maccabi holding a modest 19-18 advantage.
With so much in common, it is possible that the finest of details could decide their Play-In Showdown opener, which will send the winner into the playoffs to take on Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, with Game 1 set for Tuesday, April 23 in the Greek capital. Here are some of the players to watch in their matchup:
The superstars: Wade Baldwin and Markus Howard
Maccabi’s Wade Baldwin and Markus Howard of Baskonia have been among the most electrifying players in the league this season. Baldwin has a history of big games in March in April; he is the EuroLeague MVP for March two years running. The combo-guard, who is in his second season with the Israeli champs, ranked third in the league in both scoring (17.7 ppg.) and PIR (19.5).
Howard was the regular-season scoring champ with 19.4 points per game and has already shattered the previous single-season record with 125 three-pointers made. He has made 23 triples more than the player with the second most (Scottie Wilbekin of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul) and has more than doubled Maccabi’s top long-distance shooter (Tamir Blatt with 55 threes).
Baldwin spent the 2021-22 season in Vitoria-Gasteiz and was a teammate there of current Baskonia players Matt Costello, Vanja Marinkovic and Tadas Sedekerskis. He has averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists in his two meetings with the club this season. Howard has been able to find his range against Maccabi this season, making 10 of 20 threes in the two games, while averaging 22.5 points. Interestingly, Howard only averaged a PIR of 14.5 in those games, while Baldwin’s PIR was 19.5. A big game from either player could make the difference on Tuesday.
The quiet stars: Josh Nebo and Codi Miller-McIntyre
Despite playing the best seasons of their respective careers, Josh Nebo and Codi Miller-McIntyre have at times been overshadowed by the players around them. But a look at what they have done shows just how valuable these players have been.
Nebo, was the regular season’s best rebounder (7.3 rpg.) and offensive rebounder (3.1 orpg.) and was among the top 10 in both two-point shooting (66.5%) and PIR (16.7). He did so despite playing the fewest minutes of any player in the top 10 in PIR. Nebo enters the season in excellent form, having scored in double figures in 10 straight games and posted PIRs of at least 20 in five of his last six appearances. He has been worth 11.1 points per game in 33 games.
Miller-McIntyre led the league in assists (7.2 apg.) in this, his first season in the competition. He authored one of the most spectacular games in competition history in February when he snapped the EuroLeague single-game assist record with 20 and added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth triple-double ever in the league. That night was one of 10 with at least 10 assists this season. For the season, Miller-McIntrye has averaged 8.5 points and 4.1 boards.
It is hard to imagine either team winning without a strong performance from these players. Nebo’s presence on the glass is critical for Maccabi. Miller-McIntyre’s playmaking makes those around him better.
The energy guys: Bonzie Colson and Chima Moneke
Both Bonzie Colson and Chima Moneke are in their second EuroLeague seasons and have taken on much bigger roles this year. Moneke exploded this season after languishing on the bench with Monaco last season. He leads the team and is fifth in the league in PIR (18.9), despite coming off the bench in all but six of his games played this season. Moneke is also fifth in rebounds (6.7 rpg.).
Colson’s numbers are solid across the board – 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals per game – and like Moneke (14.0 ppg.), he is second on the team in scoring. The matchups in this game will be fluid and at times see these guys pitted against each other. They are both capable of having huge scoring nights, but what may be most important is that they bring the high levels of energy they have shown all season and produce big plays when the game calls for them.
Players in a slump: Lorenzo Brown and Tadas Sedekerskis
Brown set the Maccabi playoff record with 6 threes in Game 4 last season against Monaco, but his scoring is down this season across the board as is his three-point shooting in particular. Lorenzo Brown has not made a three in his last four games and has only one game with multiple triples since Round 20. In that time – a span of 12 games, Brown is 9 for 41 (21.9%) from deep. He has a PIR of 8.3 in those games.
One of the most dominant forwards in the early part of the season, Sedekerskis had PIRs in the 20s four times in his first seven games and posted double figures in rebounds five times in the first half of the season. Since Round 20, he has not had a single PIR of 20 and only once took at least 10 boards. Over his last 10 games played, Sedekerskis has been worth 5.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and a PIR of 10.3. Baskonia needs more from him.
Both Maccabi and Baskonia are much better teams when these players are in form. Will either be able to recapture his “A” game for the play-in?
The X factors: Roman Sorkin and Maik Kotsar
Roman Sorkin’s best game of the season? You bet it was against Baskonia! In Round 15, he went for 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists for a season-high PIR of 23 in just 17:21 minutes as Maccabi won 89-81 in Belgrade. That night, Kotsar fouled out in 20:46 while posting 6 points and just 1 rebound.
When these teams last met, Maik Kotsar was at his best. He had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in racking up a season-high PIR of 26 in 36:57 minutes, which was the most he ever played in a EuroLeague game. Baskonia won 92-82 in the Round 25 game. That night, Sorkin was a non-factor with 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting plus 2 rebounds for a PIR of 1 in 12:41.
Sorkin, with 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, and Kotsar with 6.0 and 3.3, respectively, are generally role players. But as the last two games between these teams show, they can be the forces that tip the scales.