This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after such a close deal down the stretch.
Post-Game Quotes: Zenit 73-71 Maccabi



Xavi Pascual, Zenit St Petersburg
"First of all, thanks to all the people that were in the stadium tonight. Thank you very much, they helped us a lot during the game. I think this was a game in which we played very well in the first 20 minutes. I think that in the third quarter, it was a little bit normal that Maccabi reacted and made it difficult for us to go in the same direction. I think that until 5 minutes before the end, this was one game that we were leading by 10 but in the last 5 minutes, we didn't control the game and had too many turnovers and this is why Maccabi found the way to be back despite the fact that our defense was more or less okay. They scored in the fastbreak because of our turnovers. But okay, sometimes it is like this, and in the last part of the game, one good offense and one good defense decided the game for our side. We are happy for this win, obviously."
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Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
"It is very hard to talk after the way we lost the game tonight. I think that as we played in the second half and as we got the lead in the final seconds of the game, it is very hard to lose the game like that. We were ready to steal the game. From one side, we are disappointed that we lost this game. On the other side, I am really worried how we started the first quarter and the first half also. All the first half, I can say because we allowed 41 points and only made 3 fouls. Especially in the beginning of the game, 25-10, it was a very big gap to start to play the game. But we didn't give up and came back to 6 points, then again 10, then back to 5 points and slowly, slowly, we cut down their difference and went up. We needed just one good defense to finish the job. We continue, starting from the second half, and I hope that this second half, the way that the fought and the way that we played against a very good team like Zenit, will give us the direction of how we have to play from now on."
Alex Poythress, Zenit St Petersburg
"We had the lead and cannot let it get away from us, and they made a run, but we made plays at the end. Guda [Gudaitis] got some good rebounds, Billy [Baron] made some shots and we really locked in and played defense in the last couple of minutes. Thanks a lot to the fans for supporting us all here. Hopefully, you will keep supporting us through these tough times in the pandemic. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"
Arturas Gudaitis, Zenit St Petersburg
"We had control of the game but at the end of the fourth quarter, especially our defense was not set well, more or less, in transition especially. This is why they came back to the game. We always want to be better every day. In practice, there is still a lot of improvement to go ahead and I think we are still improving."
Jalen Reynolds, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
"They have a good organization here, obviously, the way they run their systems. I just think that tonight, they played harder than us but we definitely fought. It was a really close match and we have to tip our heads to this good team they have. We have to continue to stay together and keep rolling. We needed the energy in the second half and in the first half. I think that is what separated us. We were not as aggressive in the first half as we were in the second half."