Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to winning ways in the Euroleague last night (Thursday) after beating Elba Berlin 74:87 at the Menorah Mivathim Hall, thanks to a wonderful evening by Wade Baldwin who led the scoring list of the host team with a career high of 33 points.
A week after the painful loss in Greece to Panathinaikos, the yellows, who this time played in the black uniforms, returned to their home court and had no difficulty overcoming the leader of the German table without Tamir Blatt, in a game that was under their control for many minutes and the difference reached around 20 points at the beginning of the second quarter.
"It was a solid game, not a big game for us. Elba is a team that is not easy to play against, they are very big in every position on the field and we were almost the entire game without Lorenzo Brown and Jaylen Adams who are dominant guards for us", noted Oded Ketch at the end.
"I'm proud of the players who raised their level. We made life easier for ourselves in the second half with good actions on both sides of the field. This is a very significant and important victory for us."
Baldwin and Ketch.
The canal, photo: Alan Shiver
Despite the comfortable victory, there were moments of concern for the yellow bench in the first quarter.
Four minutes into the game, the yellow star Lorenzo Brown injured his ankle and went down to the dressing room to receive treatment.
The coordinator complained of pain and did not return to the match, when his condition will be checked today and he will undergo an MRI scan in order to diagnose the severity of his injury.
"Any injury in such an intense season makes me very worried. I hope it turns out not to be very serious, we had a period without Wade, and Lorenzo took on a lot more. You saw when Lorenzo wasn't there, Wade took on more. He was great, it already started in the second half in Greece . He's healthy, that's what worried me the most and now makes me the happiest. I hope the injury isn't too serious," Ketch shared.
The man of the game for Maccabi was Wade Baldwin who, in the absence of the sick Jaylen Adams and the injured Lorenzo Brown, took command and led his teammates with a career-high 33 points.
"I felt good and after the first 3-pointer I got it, it raised my self-confidence. It was a team effort and everyone took part."
Minutes after the victory, the yellow team announced the signing of forward-center Suleiman Barimo (2.03 meters, 33 years old) on a contract until the end of the season.
Breimo, former Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Eilat, arrives at Maccabi Tel Aviv following the injury of Alex Poithers, who underwent surgery on his hand and will be absent from the fields for an extended period.
Welcome Su 🔥#WeAreMaccabi pic.twitter.com/4JZA9ri2OS
— Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) January 19, 2023
"I am excited to join such a great team and an organization like Maccabi," said Suleiman Barimo after his signing.
"I'm ready to do my best to try to help the team in any way I can and contribute to victories. I'm also looking forward to meeting the fans who support us."
After the game, the Yellows will start for the local arena, where on Sunday they will be hosted by Hapoel Tel Aviv at Shlomo Group Hall for an intriguing city derby as part of the 14th round of the Winner League.
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