Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv achieved an 87-74 home win over Bundesliga champions Alba Berlin in the 20th round of the basketball EuroLeague on Thursday evening.
It was Maccabi’s ninth home win in 10 games at the Menorah Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on the way to an 11-9 win-loss record, while Alba remained on 6 wins from 20 games.
Maccabi star Lorenzo Brown was injured in the fifth minute, but Bonzie Colson and Wade Baldwin inspired Maccabi to dominate the first quarter, which ended 25-10.
Jaleen Smith helped Alba cut the gap to 28-38 at halftime, before Baldwin’s diverse contribution helped Maccabi lead 63-50 at the end of the third quarter.
Alba cut it to 60-67 in the 35th minute, but important plays by Josh Nebo and Jarell Martin secured the home win.
Baldwin scored a Euroleague career-high of 33 points, while Colson added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Gabriele Procida and Smith scored 12 points each for the visitors.
Alba will next host Valencia on January 26, while Maccabi will face Olympiacos in Piraeus the following evening. ■
