Maccabi – Olympiacos 84-69: Bad in the city, worse in Tel Aviv

Olympiakos failed to find solutions in the cover of Ande ίζiιi κοντά near the basket, appeared rather superficial in the part of the decisions in attack and was fatally defeated by Maccabi Tel Aviv (84-69) in the Menora Mivtachim Arena on the 22nd game of the EuroLeague – as the game went Olympiakos kept at least +17 from SEF’s win.

From the middle of the second third, the red-whites had to chase after the hosts, but were very imprecise after the break from 6:75, so that the difference was in double digits and they could not decide the win until the end.

Thus, following the coronavirus adventure, Olympiacos are now on a string of defeats (two), at a time when Gianni Sfeiropoulos’ Maccabi Tel Aviv are heading to Tel Aviv for the first time after November 17, 2021 and the eight straight defeats they have had since then smiled .

The MVP

From the first minutes it was clear that Ande ίζiιiτς would become an important factor in the game. The question was how influential he would be in the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. In practice, he’s proven he’s got the most work done thanks to the consistency he’s shown at the two-pointers and the damage he’s done to the red-white greats. At 26’16” on the floor, he managed to put up 23 points with 10/12, two points and 3/5 shots, filling out his stats with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block.

The weak link

Thomas Wokap is Olympiacos’ most effective defender this year but had no corresponding offer/post at Menora Mivtachim Arena. Not only that he didn’t show the usual level defensively this year, but also that he didn’t find any solutions in attack. The Olympiacos main point guard finished the night with 5 points (with 1/3 two points and 1/3 three points), 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 errors.

The stat that stood out

Two were Olympiacos’ biggest (statistical) problems, the three-pointer and the errors. The Reds and Whites finished the game on 6/22 in 6:75 (27.3%), giving 15 assists for 15 errors.

The race

Olympiacos’ start wasn’t the best possible, but the damage inflicted wasn’t that great. The Red-Whites started with 1/7 shots and 4 penalties to quickly go to -6 (8-2 in 5′), but within four minutes they leveled the score. This was due to Kostas Papanikolaou’s exuberant play and the two conceded threes (one by him and one by Sasha Vezenkov) that brought the game to “X” (14-14 in 9′).

Little by little, of course, there was something Olympiacos didn’t know the answer to: the marking of Ande Zizic. The Maccabi Tel Aviv captain had a good rhythm from a young age, finishing most balls he got close to the basket and causing Giorgos Bartzokas a lot of problems with his general presence.

Especially from the 15th minute. Giannis Sfeiropoulos’ time-out with Maccabi Tel Aviv at -5 (23-28 in 15 minutes) after Sakil Makkisik’s consecutive baskets took place. The hosts reacted, equalized quickly (31:31 in 18′) and ended the first half with a lead (40:38). Their weapon is Ande Zizic’s 16 points and consistency in the two points (12/17) against an Olympiakos who had a big problem of consistency in the same statistical category (8/20).

The third ten minutes went much worse for Olympiakos, mainly because the marking of Maccabi’s main center was never answered. The hosts’ chariot remained the same, which led to a +10 (55:45) in the 26th minute – for the first time the difference was in double digits.

George Bartzokas tried to change the rhythm by making adjustments to faces and shapes, but the essence was the same. Except for two nail series by Mustafa Fal for -6 (60-54 in 28′), Maccabi Tel Aviv didn’t lose control of the situation and returned to the final of the season thanks to +10 (66-56) to buzzer beater of Jalen Reynolds .

The problem for Olympiakos from then on was that they didn’t have the power and ability to react. So strong that the difference grew by the minute, going to -22 (81-59) with almost two minutes to go. The only thing that Giorgos Bartzokas’ players managed to do until the final was to collect the extent of the defeat.

THE REFEREES: Latisevs – Panthers – Teppenier.

THE TEN MINUTES: 19-16, 40-38, 66-56, 84-69.

MACABI TEL AVIV (Sfeiropoulos): Wilbekin 13 (2/4 two points, 3/6 three points, 3 assists, 3 errors), Evans 14 (1 three points, 4 assists), Caleiro 8 (2/3 two points, 4/4 shots). ). , 5 rebounds), Williams 4, Taylor, Reynolds 8 (5 rebounds), Sorkin, Dibartolomeo 3 (0/4 two points, 1/4 three points, 3 rebounds), Cohen, Nanali 11 (3/7 three points, 4 assists), Zizic 23 (10/12 two points, 3/5 shots, 6 rebounds), ziv.

OLYMPIC (Bartzokas): Wokup 5 (1), Dorsey 12 (4/5 two points, 0/2 three points, 4/4 shots), Larentzakis, Fal 8 (4/4 two points, 4 rebounds), Sloukas 7 (1 /5 three points), 4/4 shots, 4 assists), Martin (0/2 two points, 8 rebounds), Vezenkov 6 (1/4 two points, 1/2 three points, 1/2 shots, 7 rebounds) , Printezis 13 (1), Papanikolaou 7 (1 three points, 6 rebounds), Jean Charles 2, McKissick 9 (1).

Group Stats – Maccabi Tel Aviv: 22/41 two points, 8/21 three points, 16/18 shots, 27 rebounds (21 defense + 6 offense), 16 assists, 9 steals, 4 errors, 3 blocks.

Team Stats – Olympiacos: 17/29 two points, 6/22 three points, 17/20 shots, 31 rebounds (24 defense + 7 offense), 15 assists, 4 steals, 15 errors, 1 block.

The next commitments of the teams: Next week Maccabi will play two home games in a row, against Alba Berlin (25/1) and Fenerbahce (27/1), while Olympiakos return to SEF to face Red Star (27/1).