Maccabi thrashes Bayern for first home win

Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv snapped a six-game losing streak in emphatic fashion – gaining its first home win of the season in the process – with a thumping 95-71 demolition of FC Bayern Munich. The home team raced into a big early lead through fluent offense and control of the boards and never looked in danger despite a brief flurry from the visitors in the third quarter. The much-needed victory improved Maccabi to 2-8 in the standings, while Bayern fell to 4-6. There were several solid contributions from the winning team led by 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists from Michael Roll. Alex Tyus combined 13 points with 5 rebounds, and fellow big man Tarik Black paired 12 points and 6 boards. Scottie Wilbekin had 10 points and 5 assists, and Johnny O'Bryant came close to a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

Wilbekin drained a three on the first possession and Maccabi’s fast start continued as Black exploded a big slam, forcing Bayern into a timeout at 8-2. Black continued to shine with 8 points in the first quarter and an acrobatic layup and one by Kendrick Ray made it a double-digit game. Five points from Petteri Koponen kept Bayern in touch, but Roll scored twice for a 27-17 lead after 10 minutes. The second quarter started with a dunk from Tyus, who soon scored again for a 35-19 edge. Free throws from the red-hot Black made it 41-22 as Maccabi continued to dominate, and although the scoring slowed, a fastbreak dunk by Angelo Caloiaro helped make it 47-29 at the interval. Bayern started the second half with more intensity as 5 points from Derrick Williams pulled his team closer. Three-pointers from Wilbekin and O'Bryant settled Maccabi, but Williams struck another triple and Devin Booker added a tip-in to make it 63-52 as Maccabi’s offense stalled towards the end of the third. Bayern never got closer than that, though, as Tyus and DeAndre Kane, followed by 5 quick points from Yovel Zoosman, pulled the home team further away in the early stages of the final stanza. Caloiaro's corner three took the lead past 20 and Maccabi cruised the rest of the way.

Rebounding control gives Maccabi dominance

A key aspect of Maccabi’s fast start was an overwhelming dominance of the rebounding battle. The home team grabbed the first 9 boards of the game, was up 14-2 in rebounding at the end of the first quarter and didn’t let Bayern take its first defensive rebound until there were three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Maccabi ended up winning the rebounding battle 43-21, claiming 8 more boards than its previous season high of 35.

Ball sharing creates offensive excellence

There was a lot more than rebounding to Maccabi’s superiority, though, with another notable aspect of the home team’s dominance coming with its ability to share the ball. Maccabi registered 21 assists with 9 different players dishing at least one dime. Scottie Wilbekin and DeAndre Kane led the way with 5 apiece.

Notable in defeat

The game’s leading scorer was Bayern’s Derrick Williams, who continued his strong recent form with 15 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting. Vladimir Lucic also impressed with 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Petteri Koponen added 10 points and 6 assists.

Next round

Maccabi will travel to Darussafaka Tefken Istanbul next Thursday, giving Wilbekin an emotional return to his former team. Bayern welcomes Khimki Moscow Region to Munich, also on Thursday.