Maccabi Tel Aviv Suffers Cruel EuroLeague Loss to Barcelona

Maccabi Tel Aviv experienced a heartbreaking 90-87 defeat against Barcelona in a EuroLeague fifth-round matchup on Tuesday. The Israeli team, coached by Oded Katash, was on the verge of overtime until Justin Robinson sank a game-winning three-pointer with just two seconds left on the clock. Yam Madar was a standout performer for Maccabi, scoring 22 points, but his efforts were ultimately insufficient to prevent the team's fourth loss in the competition this season.

Maccabi had hoped to build on their previous victory over Milan and secure consecutive wins, but despite leading for parts of the game and maintaining a close score throughout, they left empty-handed. The first half was tightly contested, with Maccabi holding a slim 42-40 lead at halftime. Barcelona surged ahead in the third quarter with an 8-0 run, but Madar led a Maccabi comeback to regain the advantage.

In the final quarter, Barcelona established a seven-point lead, and later an 83-75 advantage. However, Maccabi, spurred by Madar, fought back. A clutch three-pointer from Iffe Lundberg and subsequent free throws tied the game at 87-87 with seconds remaining. Maccabi needed just one defensive stop to force overtime, but Robinson's dramatic three-pointer sealed their fate.

The loss drops Maccabi Tel Aviv to a 1-4 record in the EuroLeague, while Barcelona improves to 3-2. This also marks Maccabi's ninth consecutive loss against Barcelona, with their last victory dating back to April 2022. The team will look to recover quickly as they prepare to face Valencia on Thursday in another EuroLeague double-week fixture.