Maccabi Tel Aviv bows out of Euroleague

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Euroleague season came to an end as the yellow-and-blue fell to Panathinaikos 81-72 late Tuesday night in Game 5 of their quarterfinal series.

Oded Katash’s squad played Ergin Ataman’s team neck-and-neck throughout the contest, but in the fourth quarter the hosts – cheered on by over 25,000 fans packed into the OAKA Arena – were able to wear out the visiting Israeli side as Kendrick Nunn scored key baskets to hand the Pana the win.

The series was all knotted up at 2-2 as each team split their games on their respective home courts, but Maccabi headed into the final frame of Game 5 down by two points and couldn’t score for the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, while Nunn couldn’t miss to help the Greeks wrap up the five-game set.

Panathinaikos will now head to the Final Four in Berlin slated for May 24-26 while Maccabi will return back to the Holy Land and prepare for State Cup semifinal action on Friday afternoon against Ironi Kiryat Ata.

Nunn scored 26 points, Kostas Sloukas added 15 points and Juancho Hernangomez chipped in with 11 points in the win. Lorenzo Brown led Tel Aviv 19 points and Josh Nebo added 14 points in the loss.

“I want to say that I am really proud of the players, for me, this group of guys are really champions,” Katash said of his Maccabi team. “Even though we didn’t qualify for the Final Four, they are real champions. Coming into this game we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but there were some things behind basketball and I wish this series would have been decided by the players and basketball.

“We never talked about referees throughout the series even though our opponents did. Maybe we should. There is no way in Game 5 – which was a very physical game from both sides – and I take out the last four shots of Lorenzo Brown [in garbage time], it was 35-6 in free throws. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but that’s a crazy number and it makes me feel a little bit embarrassed and sorry for the players. They really deserved it. We as a club the whole series, players, coaches, we had more respect for basketball and for the Euroleague than some of the people who were on the court tonight.”

“I am proud of my players and the fans, the entire club who believed in me and in us,” Panathinaikos bench boss Ataman said. “All the respect for Maccabi team and players, who made a great run and pushed the game to the last five minutes. We found a way to win. As I explained after the first game, if I don’t go to the Final Four I won’t be here at Panathinaikos next year. Now we made it.”

Score breakdown

Mathias Lessort scored for Panathinaikos and Jake Cohen answered for Maccabi Tel Aviv to get Game 5 under way. John DiBartolomeo went from deep, Sloukas scored at the hoop, but buckets by Nebo and Brown gave the yellow-and-blue a 9-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

Ioannis Papapetrou went from downtown, Nebo and Cohen scored inside, Nunn dialed up from long distance and DiBartolomeo did the same as the teams remained tight. Jerian Grant also went from beyond the arc, while Hernangomez found points off the glass and Sloukas scored as well to cut the Maccabi lead to 21-19 after 10 minutes of play.

Nunn and Tamir Blatt traded triples to begin the second quarter, Jasiel Rivero and Nebo scored inside to keep Tel Aviv ahead temporarily. Then Nunn hit a jumper, Brown did the same and Sloukas went from deep to give Panathinaikos a 32-30 lead with five minutes left in the first half. Nebo came flying in to clean up a miss, Antonius Cleveland scored, James Webb went from long distance, Rivero came in with a deuce, Sloukas and Papapetrou came back with points as the game was all knotted up at 41-41 at halftime.

Brown and Papapetrou scored for their respective teams to begin the third quarter, Bonzie Colson hit from deep for Maccabi, and Nunn did the same for Pana. Then Sloukas and Dibartolomeo traded triples to keep the game tied up at 49-49 midway through the period.

Nebo put in points, Hernangomez went from way downtown, Blatt drilled home a 3-pointer but Panathinaikos snatched a two-point cushion (58-56) after 30 minutes.

Panagiotis Kalaitzakis started the fourth quarter with points, Nunn went from deep, Brown came back with a deuce, Blatt drilled home a triple, but so did Nunn.

Brown dialed up for a pair from long distance, but then the tide turned Pana’s way as Lessort scored two buckets inside and Nunn went from downtown yet again to close out the win and knock out Tel Aviv from Final Four contention.

Maccabi’s Cohen reflected on the series and season.

“We had just one last hurdle, we couldn’t get over it. They made big shots and I think we were just a little tired of running uphill. Just a lot to overcome and we weren’t able to do it but still, I’m really proud of the guys in here, really proud of the coaching staff for what we were able to achieve. I think it’s a really, really huge thing what we did this year no matter how this game went.

“To even be here is a huge step and all the players in the room and all the coaches in the next room deserve a heart-felt congratulations because I can’t imagine any other team in the world to go through what we did and still do what we did.”