Maccabi Tel Aviv Opens Preseason with Victory Over Aris Thessaloniki

Maccabi Tel Aviv began their preseason tournament in Nicosia, Cyprus, with an 87-92 victory over Greek team Aris Thessaloniki on Friday. The Israeli club will play another friendly match on Saturday against Olympiacos before returning home for the Super Cup against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday.

Maccabi Tel Aviv displayed a strong first half, leading 37-50 at halftime, with effective offense and stifling defense against a favored EuroCup contender. In the second half, their offense faltered slightly, and they struggled defensively against Aris, who scored 50 points in the latter half.

"This is a clear lesson for us from the last two years," Maccabi officials stated. "Defensively, if we are not at the level of the EuroLeague, we will not achieve the goals we want. This doesn't mean stopping opponents at 70 points, but it does mean knowing how to do certain things much better. Many players are still learning, but we know we will need to be much better defensively this season compared to the last two years."

A bright spot for Maccabi was the performance of Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo, who combined for 42 points and shot 9-of-12 from three-point range, despite ostensibly competing for the same position. Yam Madar also received positive feedback for his play.

Newcomers Armando Bacot and Keion Brooks Jr. did not perform well, but the team is not concerned. A decision on whether Daniel Theis will play against Olympiacos will be made by Saturday morning, with a high probability he will participate, though the team is being cautious to avoid re-injury. Wade Baldwin IV is dealing with a minor injury and might rest until the Super Cup.

Following the game, the team participated in a traditional Rosh Hashanah dinner, with Chairman Shimon Mizrahi offering holiday blessings.