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Another competitor is waiting for the Euroleague “Žalgiris” from Kaunas, this time we challenge the Maccabi team in Tel Aviv.
Like last week, two clubs on different sides of the standings are facing off: Žalgiris (5/2) is second and Maccabi (2/5) is just 15. This is a royal home team that won 13 out of 14 matches at home last season, but this time the Menora Mivtachim arena will be empty and their sixth player, the “yellow”, will not have it.
Maccabi can be called one of those teams that also lacks success: 5 defeats with a total difference of 22 points, which is only 4.4 points per defeat. ALBA Berlin won 80:73, but Chimki from the Moscow region beat 89:87 after extra time, and in that match Rima Kurtinaitis’ own students gave the victory when in the end they made stupid mistakes.
Where are Maccabi’s problems? Everywhere little by little. This season, Ioanio Sfairopoulos students spend 80.4 points each, up from 77 points last season. The attack also deteriorated: 79.8 points against 82.4, which was last season. Three dots on one side, three on the other and small
Maccabi’s attacking efficiency is 14th in the Euroleague (92.9 points per 100 attacks) and the defense is also 14th: 99 points per 100 attacks. Žalgiris is only 15th in defense (99.6 points per 100 attacks), but shows the best attack rate (106.9 points per 100 attacks).
The Tel Aviv team has been forced to compete in a very low rotation since the beginning of the season: 9 basketball players play. It is true that there are two players who do not bring much benefit. First of all, Oz Blayzer. This 28-year-old Jew debuted in the Euroleague and was bought for the rotation, but captures averages of 3.6 points and 3 utility scores in 13 minutes and is of little use.
However, the biggest disappointment that really falls into the Top 3 of all Euroleague disappointments is Dragan Bender. The Croat, who returned from the National Basketball Association (NBA), was bought as the “fourth number”, which should rip the field, but scores only 2.6 points in 15 minutes, recovers 2.7 balls and averages 1.6 utility points. So far he has obtained only 2 three-point scores out of 13, an accuracy of 15.4 percent. For comparison, O.Blayzer has hit 5/12 long pitches so far (41.7%) and is a better option on the field than D.Bender.
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Maccabi also includes Omri Casspi, but he hasn’t been on the floor since November 7 of last year, and it is doubtful that he will return to professional basketball as the problems on the roads are extremely severe. For this reason, the ‘yellows’ want to recover Quicy Acy, with whom they did not agree on economic terms in the summer, so they had to turn in different directions. Maccabi now has government support of $ 4.2 million. The euros, as they have to play without spectators, and the funds not raised with the tickets are important for this team, since the tickets for the match in Tel Aviv are expensive.
After receiving the money injection, Maccabi will say goodbye to D. Bendris and recover Q.Acy, who played well in defense, but is not there for the moment and will not play against Žalgiris. Another player will not play: Othello Hunter. An American in a game with Istanbul’s “Anadolu Efes” was brainwashed, so he was told to go at least 10 days without playing basketball. Yes, I.Sfairopoulos will have only 8 players in his rotation, because 200cm tall defender Yovel Zoosman and John DiBartolomeo, who lacked the Achilles tendon in mid-June, are still unable to play.
Against Žižičius, who played 21 minutes each, will have to bear a heavy load in the duel with the residents of Kaunas, and now this number can jump to 30. The Croatian quickly adapted to the new team and eliminated O. Hunter from the top five, averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and a utility score of 13.7. Bender will likely have to replace A. Žižičius or 19-year-old Yonatanas Atias will make his debut, but this is unlikely.
A very significant figure in the Maccabi team is also Angelo Caloiaro, who is the main easy edge and still takes the minutes and in the position of “fourth number”. A 31-year-old American plays even after 30 minutes, but does not always take the initiative in an attack. Before Fenerbahce in Istanbul, he scored only 3 minutes in 33 minutes, scored 2 points and scored no utility points, but last week before Anadolu Efes he scored all 3 shots “out of the game”, scored 9 points, grabbed 5 balls, made 3 assists. transfers and scored 16 utility points. With A.Caloiaro on the floor, Maccabi has the best attack rate (97 points per 100 attacks), but defense is the second worst (101.6 points per 100 attacks) – only D.Bender manages to defend worse (104.8 points per 100 attacks). Although “Žalgiris” has a gap in the “third number” position, A.Caloiaro is unlikely to be the figure through which opponents will attempt to break through opponents’ defense, as this 203cm tall player has more other tasks.
Maccabi has a solid defensive line, where the brightest star is Scottie Wilbekin, one of the best players in the Euroleague at this position. The American throws 15 pitches per game and has total freedom in attack. So far, Wilbekin has shot nearly twice as many 3s (68:36) and two, and his hit from the perimeter is 32.4 percent. Tyler Dorsey often attacks from distance, scoring as much as 8 points out of three of 13 in the game against Chimki, and his hitting percentage for the season is 37.5 percent.
Unlike the aforementioned players, Elijah Bryant is the one who chooses shots from a closer distance more often: 37 two-point shots (51.4% correct) and 23 triples (39.1% correct). It is true that E. Bryant lacks stability: he scores 7 points in two games and 22 in the other 2. Last week in Istanbul, the American scored 22 points and posted an efficiency of 25 points. Thus he played the most productive game of his career in the Euroleague.
The substitute is Chris Jones, for whom Maccabi paid the Turkish club 150 thousand. exchange of euros. The 188 cm tall Euroleague debutant uses his time quite solidly: he scores 7.1 points in 16 minutes, bounces 2 balls, makes 3.3 assists and accumulates 7.7 utility points. The two points reached 57.1 percent. (16/28) precision and attack from a distance of 40 percent. (6/15), so they take every opportunity.
After last week’s game, I.Sfairopoulos said he was satisfied with his team’s game and stressed that he lacked small details and some luck before the victories. We’ll see who needs more luck on Thursday starting at 9:05 pm, when the Discord Ball is thrown.
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