The hosts erased a 15-point halftime deficit and came within a whisker of victory before being forced into submission.
Maccabi survived spirited Panathinaikos fightback to come out on top in overtime
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Regular Season
Round 4 of 34
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
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Maccabi Playtika Tel AvivMTA
Overview
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ended the first double-round week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on a high note by securing a captivating 81-86 overtime win at Panathinaikos Athens. The Greens had turned the game on its head after having head coach Ergin Ataman ejected midway through the third quarter, but they eventually fell short in a strength-sapping contest.
Following Wednesday’s 75-66 defeat at Valencia Basket, Maccabi made a flying start to the game and led 24-39 at halftime on the back of 15 points from forward Bonzie Colson, who followed on from last season’s heroics at OAKA when he posted career highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds.
Colson’s performance then went unrewarded as PAO prevailed 88-86, but he got sweet revenge on the Greek side this time, finishing on 21 points and 8 boards which paved the way for a morale-boosting victory.
Impact of Ataman’s ejection
Maccabi appeared to be in cruise control before Ataman got ejected, but the incident galvanized the home team to find an extra gear and claw its way back into the contest. Luca Vildoza and Dinos Mitoglou, who both had a nondescript first half, found their range beyond the three-point arc and PAO sent its passionate home fans into raptures when it nosed ahead 67-66 with several minutes left in the fourth quarter.
A tug-of-war ensued and the home team was on the cusp of victory as it held a 72-70 lead with 6 seconds left on the clock, but Maccabi was able to force overtime thanks to a last-gasp offensive rebound from Nebo, who tipped it in.
Leaning on a quartet of players
Maccabi’s superior individual quality made the difference in the extra 5 minutes, as Lorenzo Brown, who racked up 12 points and a club-record 12 assists, showed his superior class, as did Colson, DiBartolomeo and Nebo.
This quartet personified Maccabi’s resilience and swung the game the visitors’ way in a fervent atmosphere, with the home fans getting behind PAO in the second half and overtime.
Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash made it clear in no uncertain terms just how much the win meant to the Israeli side. “The last two weeks were not easy for us, but today we promised ourselves that we were going to focus on basketball more than on other things,” Kattash said in a post-game flash interview. “It’s what we do best, and I am very proud of the guys that we were able to do it. It’s never easy to win here.”
For PAO assistant coach Christos Serelis, who replaced Ataman on the sidelines after the Turkish tactician was ejected, he lamented the team’s missed opportunities to complete the comeback. “We’re very disappointed,” he stated. “In the last minute we missed 2 free throws, committed an offensive foul and conceded a crucial rebound. We were aggressive in the second half but in the end we only have ourselves to blame for losing.
“Our defense in the second quarter was terrible and allowed Maccabi to open up a 15-point lead.”