Maccabi Tel Aviv suffer first defeat in Israeli championship — Jerusalem Post

Israeli basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv lost to Maccabi Rishon LeZion 90-93 in overtime. It was the first defeat for Oded Kattash's team in the current Israeli championship season, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Maccabi Tel Aviv trailed their opponents by 20 points but managed to erase the deficit and take the game into overtime. However, the home side held on to its advantage. Chancey Jenkins scored 18 points for Maccabi Rishon LeZion, Justin Tillman added 17, while Kwa Grant and VJ King had 16 each. Roman Sorkin was Tel Aviv's top scorer with 23 points.

Problems after Lundberg's injury

After the game, Kattash said that his team expected a difficult match. According to him, the opponent played aggressively, maintained a high tempo, while Maccabi Tel Aviv made only two of 18 three-point attempts in the first half.

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The Tel Aviv team is also trying to adapt to the absence of Iffe Lundberg, who suffered an injury. Jaylen Hoard said that the players should not use their teammate's absence as an excuse, but should improve ball movement in offense and play cohesively in defense.

Defeat to Real in the EuroLeague

Before the national championship game, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost to Real Madrid in the EuroLeague, 99-113. The Spanish club set a team record by making 21 three-pointers, while six of its players scored at least 10 points each.

After the first half, the Israeli team led 52-51, but after the break Real intensified its offensive pressure. Clark scored 20 points, Colson had 19, and Yam Madar added 14. For the Madrid side, Facundo Campazzo scored 21 points and Andres Feliz had 18. Following this result, Maccabi Tel Aviv's EuroLeague record stands at two wins and five losses.