Maccabi, coming to Milan to add another chapter to the big history existing between these two clubs, has lost the last three EuroLeague games and six of the last seven, but after analyzing the data the picture looks very different. Maccabi lost to Olympiacos by three points and to Fenerbahce by two; in Bologna they were in the game until the end and in Athens against Panathinaikos they lost by just six points. On top of it, Maccabi has recovered starting center Wenyen Gabriel, corrected the roster a little bit (David DeJulius and Marial Shayok have been signed lately) and has always been competitive. Olimpia will have to give its best effort and quality to prevail and follow up on the win achieved in Belgrade, the first on the road. In general, Milan has won three of the last four EuroLeague games, despite unexpectedly losing to Berlin in overtime, a defeat that tainted an otherwise promising streak. During this stretch, Olimpia has recovered two centers, David McCormack and Ousmane Diop, to support the use of different players at that position such as Zach LeDay and in certain situations Nikola Mirotic. Nico Mannion has had a good impact on the team: in the two games won with him on the court, the point guard averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. Both teams have better numbers on offense than defense. Olimpia is fifth for points scored and second in three-point shooting but allows 57.1 percent on twos. Inside defense is a big problem for Maccabi, who is last in the competition, allowing 60.6 percent on twos. But both teams have played more games without the starting center protecting the rim than with him available.
Tip-off time in Unipol Forum is at 20:30.
THE REFEREES – Tomislav Hordov (Croatia), Milan Nedovic (Serbia), Steve Bittner (Germany)
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “Maccabi, even when they lost some games, competed hard to the end. It is a team that will never give up, with athletic players and a lot of quickness. We have our share of problems, too, some players out, so we are aware that the game will be a difficult one. Lately, we have been making strides and we won three of the last four EuroLeague games. In Belgrade last week, we had the defensive impact we want to have. Now, if we can reproduce the kind of defensive attention against Maccabi, we will have the chance to win the game.”
NICO MANNION – “We have to be ready to fight a battle, in sports terms. In the EuroLeague there’s so much talent that every game is hard. For us everything starts with the defense, transition defense, and rebounds, because we know we have the offensive talent, especially when me move the ball. So, defese will be crucial.”
MACCABI TEL AVIV OUTLOOK – In addition to having deeply changed the roster compared to last season (Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin, Josh Nebo among others have left), Maccabi is still in the process of adjusting a little bit. They started the season with Jordan Loyd, who was then replaced by Saben Lee; plus, they paid for the injuries of center Wenyen Gabriel (seven games out) and point guard Tamir Blatt (four, but he got injured again last Sunday). Blatt has spectacular numbers so far, averaging 11.5 points and 8.7 assists per game, and he is also shooting 45.2 percent from three. Among the guards, with Blatt out, Coach Oded Katash will play John Di Bartolomeo (2.9 points per game), Rokas Jokubaitis, the Lithuanian who was at Barcelona for the last few seasons, who is averaging 10.0 points per game with the addition of 4.9 assists, and Saben Lee, 12.0 points per game in approximately 19 minutes on the court. Another option is David DeJulius (4.7 points per game in his three appearances). Levi Randolph and Jaylen Hoard are regular starters at the wing positions. Randolph plays over 30 minutes per game, averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting 50.0 percent on threes. Hoard averages over 31 minutes on the court and with 13.7 points per game he is the team’s leading scorer. Hoard also grabs 5.6 rebounds per game. Marial Shayok, who has played in the NBA and at Fenerbahce, has been added: during the last summer, he was a member of the South Sudan Olympic team. Israeli international Roman Sorkin has played a lot at center during Gabriel’s injury and is averaging 10.3 points per game with 3.6 rebounds, although he is more suited for the power forward position. Veteran Jake Cohen (2.1 points per game) and William Rayman (1.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game) also have minutes at the power forward spot. Center Wenyen Gabriel played in the NBA for the Lakers and was part of the South Sudan national team at the last Olympics. Having returned for the last three games, he is averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per night. The other center is Jasiel Rivero (11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game) who, however, is injured.
THE MACCABI TEL AVIV CONNECTION – Josh Nebo has played for Maccabi during the last two seasons, but he is injured and will not be available for the game. With Maccabi, he played 78 EuroLeague games in two years with 724 points scored and 517 rebounds captured.
GAME NOTES – Nikola Mirotic has made at least one three in 16 of his last 18 games and is two three-pointers away from 400 for his career. With 21.7 on average, he is second overall in personal rating, with 17.3 points he is the sixth-best scorer, and with 7.5 he is the fourth-best rebounder in the competition. With an average of 5.4 he is also the best defensive rebounder. Zach LeDay, with 18.9 per game, is 7th in personal rating, he is also second for fouls received (6.5). Finally, with 58.3 percent he is leading the three-point shooting ranking above Pippo Ricci who is second (57.9 percent). Shavon Shields is 26 points shy of reaching 2.000 for his career.
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