The Israeli champs grabbed a big win thanks to a number of players stepping up to make up for absences
Maccabi's effort, next-man-up mentality pleasantly surprised Coach Kattash
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 27 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Oded Kattash did not see this result coming. The Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach was pleasantly surprised how well his team played despite missing four crucial players in knocking off the second-placed team in the league.
Maccabi overcame the absences of point guards Tamir Blatt and Rokas Jokubaitis as well as Jaylen Hoard and Rafi Menco to defeat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 94-76 after having dropped seven of its last eight games.
“We were not expecting this,” Kattash told the post-game press conference. “We were missing a lot of players. We came into the game without high expectations but I am really proud of the way we played. A lot of players stepped up and right from the beginning we played the right way. Including Jimmy [Clark] who only joined us four or five days ago. That is a big win for us.”
Clark was needed even more with the injuries to playmakers Blatt and Jokubaitis - who rank second (7.3 apg) and ninth (5.0 apg) in the EuroLeague in assists, respectively.
When asked how satisfied he was with Clark’s performance - 7 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists - Kattash said very much so and added: “For such a short time, he was really open to learn a big part of our system. It will take time but he’s a player with a lot of upside. He will be better in the future.”
There was a real next-man-up mentality among the Maccabi players.
Roman Sorkin stepped up for 21 points - 1 point off his season high and 2 from his career high. Jasiel Rivero tallied a season-high 18 points And John DiBartolomeo scored 13 points - 2 points off his season high - and grabbed 8 rebounds - 1 off his career high.
Game Videos
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Even 18-year-old talent Omer Mayer scored all 7 of his points in a 36-second span at the end of the third quarter to help pull away. Mayer, who also dished out a career-high 6 assists, had totaled just 3 points and 3 assists in 30 minutes over four games this season coming into the contest.
“It was a big challenge for us. Rokas and Tamir have been such a big part of our offense throughout the season. Jaylen was also out. But different guys stepped up and we were able to come up with a really important win,” said DiBartolomeo.
“The main thing is we won the game and everybody got involved. We’re not a new team. We have a new player and we are missing a lot of guys right now. A lot of guys stepped up and we played great. We want to keep going. It’s just one win. We look forward to the next games,” added Sorkin.