Maccabi Tel Aviv Falls Short Against Olympiacos Despite Strong Showing

Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a narrow 77-72 defeat against European champions Olympiacos on Sunday, despite holding a significant lead early in the game. The Israeli team established a 13-point advantage in the first quarter but ultimately could not maintain their momentum. The loss came amidst several player absences, including Daniel Theis, Ousmane Diop, and J.J. Clark, and was compounded by an injury to Yam Madar in the final minute.

Greek media acknowledged Maccabi's intelligence and resilience, with Gazetta noting, "Maccabi knows how to exploit mistakes. It is a smart team." They highlighted Tyler Dorsey's impact and Colson's 17 points and seven rebounds, while also recognizing Olympiacos's depth as a deciding factor. Prothoma commented on Maccabi's ability to dictate the pace for extended periods and disrupt Olympiacos's focus, stating, "Maccabi caused Olympiacos to lose concentration. It almost worked."

Further analysis from SDNA praised Maccabi's excellent start, forcing turnovers and playing strong defense, though they noted Donatas Motiejūnas's dominance for Olympiacos. Despite a poor three-point shooting performance (7 of 30), Maccabi secured 11 offensive rebounds. Yam Madar contributed seven assists and two steals before his late injury, while Jalen Reynolds also had two steals. A concerning injury for Olympiacos was Nikola Milutinov, who played only two minutes before leaving the game.