The opening game of the new Play-In Showdown saw the Israeli champions dominate from start to finish
Maccabi routs Baskonia, 113-85, to advance to playoffs

The first-ever Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play-In Showdown game saw Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv cruise through to the playoffs with a 113-85 thrashing of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Belgrade. Maccabi will face Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the playoffs starting next week, while Baskonia now faces a do-or-die home game on Friday.
Maccabi raced into a double-digit lead before the end of the first quarter, extended the margin to 24 points before the interval and never looked in trouble after that. Lorenzo Brown led a dazzling offensive performance with 29 points on 7-of-8 three-point shooting, helped by 26 from Wade Baldwin and 14 from Bonzie Colson, as Maccabi set a club record with 19 three-pointers.
Codi Miller-McIntyre excelled for Baskonia with 32 points, 7 assists and 8 rebounds for a PIR of 45, while Markus Howard scored 14 and Tadas Sedekerskis paired 11 points with 7 rebounds.
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Brown stakes Maccabi to early lead
Brown struck a pair of triples to open the scoring before Miller-McIntyre also hit from deep to get Baskonia on the board. Vanja Marinkovic scored twice, but Baldwin did the same to keep Maccabi ahead, 13-8, midway through the first. Brown and Antonius Cleveland were on target from deep to stretch the lead, before Howard hit a three. Tamir Blatt also struck from distance and Brown added a mid-range jumper for a 28-15 lead after 10 minutes.
Jasiel Rivero’s long two kept Maccabi moving before Sedekerskis and Niko Rogkavopoulos tried to stop the bleeding. But Maccabi then enjoyed a 10-0 run, featuring consecutive scores from Baldwin, for a 43-21 advantage as Baskonia’s woes deepened by losing Chima Moneke to injury. Miller-McIntyre netted twice but Colson matched him and Brown did even better with a pair of triples. Miller-McIntyre kept going with two more baskets, making it 55-36 at the break.
Three-pointers continue to fall as Maccabi cruises
Howard started the second half with a three-pointer, but Colson and Jake Cohen also hit triples to keep Maccabi comfortable. Brown added 5 more points, Bolson hit from deep and Baldwin added a pair of layups to make it 73-49. Sedekerskis answered with a threeball, but Baldwin and Rivero dunked as Maccabi kept flowing. Cleveland and Blatt added three-pointers, giving the rampant yellows an 86-61 lead after three quarters.
Howard tried to resist with his fourth triple early in the final period, but James Webb III scored twice and Josh Nebo added another inside score to keep Maccabi rolling. Miller-McIntyre's triple briefly reduced the deficit to less than 20, but three-pointers from Blatt and Baldwin took Maccabi into triple figures. Miller-McIntyre continued his great night with two more baskets, but Brown and Baldwin added further deep strikes as Maccabi cruised to a record-setting win.