Euroleague, Milan-Maccabi Tel Aviv 90-98

Third consecutive defeat for Milan, which is unable to react after the disappointments against Alba Berlin and Pesaro. The team from Messina also goes down in the Euroleague in the recovery of the second day: Maccabi passes 90-98 at the Forum. Olimpia leads for long stretches with excellent percentages, but allows itself too many breaks and allows its opponents to hang on to the game. And take it home at the end: there are now 4 defeats in 5 games for Milan in the Euroleague.

PERCENTAGES

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The first half is played at a high pace and very high percentages. To keep up with an infallible Maccabi at the start, a great Nikola Mirotic is needed: 12 points for him in the first quarter. In the second, the two teams return to earth in terms of percentages, but Milan comes back better: Shields and Voigtmann (22 and 18 points on the scoresheet respectively) raise the laps and bring the gap to +10. It seems like the beginning of a real escape for Milan, which however loses clarity and allows the opponents to return. Point after point, the advantage is gnawed away by the Israelis: at half-time it is +2 for Olimpia (52-50).

BROWN DECISIVE

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The pace of the second half is decided by Lorenzo Brown. The Maccabi player scored 20 points and 12 assists: it was he who stopped yet another escape attempt by Milan and brought Maccabi back ahead in the third quarter. And it is always he who finds the decisive break at the end. The climate heats up in the fourth period: some referee choices make the Forum, and the team with it, nervous. It becomes a challenge of nerves, rather than technique. Maccabi takes advantage of this, dictating the tempo and leading Milan to play at a frenetic pace. Mirotic and Shields try to take the team on their shoulders, keeping alive the hopes of a comeback, but it’s not enough to keep up. Brown is icy in pushing Olimpia back with two triples with 2 minutes left. It is the decisive break. Milan loses the fourth match in 5 Euroleague games: it ends 90-98, Maccabi wins.

MILAN: Mirotic 24, Shields 22, Voigtmann 18;

MACCABI: Rivero 21, Brown 20, Colson 16.