As Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv started life at its temporary new home on Thursday night, Bonzie Colson produced another big performance to help down FC Bayern Munich, 93-90, in a tight battle. 

Bonzie Colson stepped up again for Maccabi 

As Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv started life at its temporary new home on Thursday night, Bonzie Colson produced another big performance to help down FC Bayern Munich, 93-90, in a tight battle. 

Maccabi will play its home games at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade for the foreseeable future and started its tenancy by giving its fans watching at home something to cheer by improving to 4-2 and consolidating a place in the playoff zone. 

A key man in the triumph was Bonzie Colson, who continued his strong start to the season by pouring in a game-high 19 points on 4-of-7 two-point shooting, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and making all 5 of his free throw attempts. He also added 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist to finish with a PIR of 21, another game-high. 

Colson had another big night versus Bayern

Colson’s scoring feats saw him pass the EuroLeague career milestone of 500 points in his 45th appearance in the competition and means that the forward – now in his second season with Maccabi – has scored in double-digits in five of his team’s six games this season. 

The stats show just how valuable Colson has been for his team’s strong start to the campaign. The 27-year-old is Maccabi’s co-leader in scoring with 15.7 points per game, exactly the same as Lorenzo Brown, ranks second in rebounding with 5.8 per night, and has a team-high PIR of 18.3. 

Another sign of his importance is the fact that he spent more than 33 minutes on the floor against Bayern, the most of any player, to show he has the full confidence of Coach Oded Katttash in close games. 

After the game, Colson emphasized that he is just happy to be playing at all considering the extremely challenging current situation, saying: "We miss Tel Aviv, we miss playing in front of our fans,” he admitted. "We’ve got the best fans in EuroLeague, so we definitely miss them, but it’s good to be here and play the game that we all love.” 

And the way that Colson is playing right now, he’s playing the game more than ever. 

More Maccabi News

The Maccabi forward led the way to victory over Bayern in Belgrade with 19 points.  

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2023-11-09T19:05:00.000Z)

Two of last year's playoff teams, KK Partizan (3-4) and Fenerbahçe Basketball (5-2) met in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season and the hosts held on for a narrow win come-from-behind win. 

Partizan rallies past Fenerbahce in 85-84 thriller

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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center Frank Kaminsky led the winners with 15 points. 

After trailing by 15 in the second quarter, Partizan turned things around to triumph at home. 

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto improved to 6-0 in the EuroLeague after flexing its muscles in a 100-74 win against Virtus Bologna in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Real Madrid thrashes Virtus Bologna 100-74, stays undefeated

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Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid gets away from Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna during the two teams' matchup in Round 6 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Los Blancos improved to a 6-0 record after flexing their muscles against Luca Banchi's side, which dropped to 5-2.

Real Madrid thrashes Virtus 100-74, stays undefeated

Real Madrid v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-11-09T19:45:00.000Z)

Olimpia Milano got back on track with a dominant 83-52 win against Valencia Basket Club in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olimpia Milano cruises past Valencia Basket, 83-52

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Maodo Lo of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan gets away from Xabi Lopez-Arostegui of Valencia Basket during the two teams' Round 6 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Italian side dominated its Spanish opponent from start to finish, winning all four quarters.

Milan cruises past Valencia, 83-52

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Valencia Basket (2023-11-09T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. (4-2) defeated FC Bayern Munich (2-5) 93-90 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Maccabi holds off Bayern, 93-90, in Belgrade

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Bonzie Colson of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv led all scorers with 19 points

The Israeli champs welcomed back All-EuroLeague guard Wade Baldwin to win in their new home away from home. 

Anadolu Efes S.K. had to rely on the overtime period to defeat Zalgiris Kaunas 86-82, but this win could help guide the path for Erdem Can's players to follow in the coming weeks and months.

OT victory can help Anadolu Efes rebuild new winning attitude 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul has been slow out of the gates this season after a summer that saw so much change. Now, Erdem Can’s charges hope [their 86-82 overtime win against Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-anadolu-efes-sk-vs-zalgiris-kaunas/) in Round 7 can be an important step in establishing a new winning culture.

Over the last few years, a period in which Efes secured back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles, the clear winning mindset instilled by ex-head coach Ergin Ataman was one of his team’s main traits. However, some of the main leaders from those sides have now departed, including Ataman himself, Vasilije Micic and Bryant Dunston, so it is very much a new-look Efes these days.

Over the summer, Coach Can arrived to replace Ataman and All-EuroLeague guard Thompson came in to fill Micic’s shoes, while Larkin, who was a key part of Efes’s two EuroLeague title successes, and second-year forward Will Clyburn provided a good base for Can to build around.

### An important win for team confidence

On Thursday evening, Efes was able to still come out with the win against Zalgiris, despite throwing away an 18-point lead that allowed the visitors to force overtime. Clyburn led the way with 20 points, Thompson scored 17 points and dished 5 assists, Larkin had 14 points and Derek Willis recorded an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.

“We needed this game, especially at home after taking the loss last week \[93-81 at Virtus Segafredo Bologna\],” said Clyburn in his post-game flash interview. “It’s all about getting better and better. Everybody is getting used to the system and getting used to everything that is going on.

“We’ve got a new team and there will be a lot of ups and downs. We just need to get used to playing with each other and get into the flow and just play.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">📢 <a href="https://twitter.com/Migros_Turkiye?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Migros_Turkiye</a> ile Zalgiris Kaunas karşılaşmamızın <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MVP</a>’si Will Clyburn!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClyburnSize%C4%B0yiGelecek?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClyburnSizeİyiGelecek</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/t6Opsj8uYf">pic.twitter.com/t6Opsj8uYf</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1722700666810839053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Willis, who signed for Efes from Umana Reyer Venice during the offseason, believes the win was important in moving forward.

“It’s not the Xs and Os that are hurting us,” he stated. “It’s been more the mentality and energy and our mindset when we come to the game. That’s why I think this week was good for us. I think everybody was locked in and tonight it showed.”

### Players new and old shining

This Round 7 victory was truly thanks to a mix of players new and old. Clyburn carried the team over stretches with a freeness that he hasn’t had much yet. New arrival Thompson was outstanding all game, too, until fouling out just before the end of regulation. Yet, his positive night came after struggling on his last two outings.

Tyrique Jones contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds as a major force inside, and he is someone Coach Can knows well as they were together last season at Turk Telekom Ankara, the 2022-23 BKT EuroCup runner-up.

The other player to shine was Larkin, whose history is well known with Efes. The veteran scored or assisted on the final 10 points after falling behind 76-79 in overtime, including netting the game-deciding layup with 9.3 seconds left.

Shane Larkin had 14 points as Anadolu Efes Istanbul beat Zalgiris Kaunas 86-82 in overtime in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Shane Larkin's highlights vs. Zalgiris

Coach Can is the biggest new piece since he brings with him a new system, and the 43-year-old thinks the victory could be a landmark one this season.

“There is a little bit of pressure in our minds about winning the game. There were some points in the game where we were down, but we couldn’t react well,” commented Coach Can. “We gave up 6 three-pointers in the fourth quarter to our opponent, but I think this overtime period is going to help us to build a winning attitude and habit.

“We are a team building a system with different pieces coming together with different habits. It’s not easy to transfer it, but I am very happy all of my players are trying their best. And as long as we try to do our best, it will be good. We are trying to get better every single day and hopefully this win will help us build up a little more of a winning attitude.”

It wouldn’t be a surprise later in the season, if Efes is back among the top teams in the league, that the coach and players point back to this victory. After all, they wasted an 18-point lead and had to come back, showing the might of former Efes sides in overtime. Only time will tell if Can's Efes can end up replicating the feats of Ataman's squads. Efes fans will certainly be hoping so.

More Efes News

Anadolu Efes Istanbul trio Ante Zizic, Will Clyburn and Tyrique Jones embrace after their team's 86-82 overtime win against Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 7 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Erdem Can’s squad improved to a 3-4 record after beating Zalgiris Kaunas and ended a two-game losing streak in the process.

OT victory can help Efes rebuild new winning attitude 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-11-09T17:30:00.000Z)

In a fascinating matchup, Saski Baskonia edged Olympiacos B.C. 74-75 on a game-winning jumper by Codi Miller-McIntyre with 0.7 seconds left. Both teams now have 3-4 records in the standings.

Baskonia edges Olympiacos, 74-75, on Miller-McIntyre jumper

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

After falling behind early, Baskonia dominated the middle two quarters and then hung on at the end.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2023-11-09T17:15:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes S.K. improved to a 3-4 record in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season after beating Zalgiris Kaunas 86-82 in Round 7. 

Anadolu Efes rises to defeat Zalgiris Kaunas in OT, wins 86-82

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Darius Thompson of Anadolu Efes Istanbul looks to keep the ball away from Zalgiris Kaunas guard Tomas Dimsa during the two teams' Round 6 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Shane Larkin came up clutch for Erdem Can's side in the extra period.

Efes rises to defeat Zalgiris in OT, wins 86-82

In the first episode of the new season of EuroLeague Diaries, Sofia del Prado and Dane Arlauckas dive into the basketball culture in Barcelona, Spain, on the occasion of the showdown between FC Barcelona and Panathinaikos Athens. Among their special guests are freestyler Paula, one of the protagonists of the EuroLeague spot for this season; Toni Valle, the leading voice among the Dracs, Barca's most loyal supporters at Palau Blaugrana; and Audie Norris, a FC Barcelona legend from the 1980s. Sofia and Dane go behind the scenes at the Palau, too, to get some exclusive viewpoints in places where fans can't normally go. Check out what they found on this edition of EuroLeague Diaries!

EuroLeague Diaries swings into bustling Barcelona

In the first episode of the new season of EuroLeague Diaries, Sofia del Prado and Dane Arlauckas dive into the basketball culture in Barcelona, Spain, on the occasion of the showdown between FC Barcelona and Panathinaikos Athens. Among their special guests are freestyler Paula, one of the protagonists of the EuroLeague spot for this season; Toni Valle, the leading voice among the Dracs, Barca's most loyal supporters at Palau Blaugrana; and Audie Norris, a FC Barcelona legend from the 1980s. Sofia and Dane go behind the scenes at the Palau, too, to get some exclusive viewpoints in places where fans can't normally go. Check out what they found on this edition of EuroLeague Diaries! 