Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Monaco 85-79 in what may have been Jordan Loyd’s last game for the club as their record dropped to 1-1 on the season. The yellow-and-blue began the game well as Loyd and Rokas Jokubaitis outdated Mike James and Co. to take a 35-30 lead at halftime. However, the hosts saw Donatas Motiejunas and Elie Okobo score with ease to take the lead by the end of the third quarter and polish off the win in the final frame.
Loyd scored 16 points while Hoard and Jasiel Rivero each scored 13 points in the loss. Okoko and James each scored 17 points as Motiejunas added 11 points in the win.

Oded Katash – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman
“We can go back and see that we missed a lot of layups and easy shots,” Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Oded Katash said. “On the other side they hit great shots by great players but I liked how we played and we were there as the game could have gone to either side and we needed a bit more luck. I liked how we approached the game and the attitude as it’s never easy to play in Monaco where the game was very physical and high tempo. At the end they made some winning plays and we were not solid enough offensively. We feel bad about the result but we have to keep our heads up as we are building something better. The next 4-5 weeks everything will be better offensively and defensively.”

Sasa Obradovic – Photo Credit: Dov Halickman
“I’m really proud and it’s tough when you don’t have a full roster to practice with,” Monaco bench boss Sasa Obradovic said. “Every Euroleague game is a tough game, we struggled and we didn’t find our best game. These guys need time to adjust to one another and they need to play together as this is a collective sport. It was hard but it was and amazing win. We struggled in the first half but did a good job in the second. We protected home court but the game could have gone either way.”

Levi Randolph – Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman
Levi Randolph looked back on the game that was, “It was a tough game for us. We knew that we were playing a tough opponent and we have a new tea with a lot of new guys, but I think we did really well and as coach always says it’s a process for us.”

Jaylen Hoard – Credit: AS Monaco Basket
Matthew Strazel and Mam Jaiteh scored for Monaco while Levi Randolph, Jordan Loyd and a dunk by Jaylen Hoard countered for Maccabi Tel Aviv gave the yellow-and-blue a 14-9 lead midway through the first quarter. Mike James quickly dropped a pair of 3-pointers, Georgios Papagiannis scored two baskets in the paint, Jasiel Rivero scored off a Rokas Jokubaitis pass while the latter hit a pair of jumpers to grab a 23-21 lead after ten minutes of play.

Rokas Jokubaitis – Credit: AS Monaco Basket
Roman Sorkin went from deep to begin the second quarter, Jokubaitis put in a left handed floater, Papagiannis and Hoard traded baskets inside, Loyd dialed up long distance while James did the same at the other end as Jaiteh and Donatas Motiejunas scored in the paint for Sasa Obradovic’s squad to cut into the Maccabi lead 35-30 with 5:01 left in the half.

Rokas Jokubaitis – Credit: AS Monaco Basket
Jake Cohen put in his first points of the season, Strazel and Tamir Blatt went from deep for their respective teams, James scored a quick pair of baskets, Loyd and Alpha Diallo each scored as Jokubaitis found points to give Maccabi a 46-41 advantage at halftime.

Jordan Loyd – Credit: AS Monaco Basket
Hoard dunked off a loose ball to get the third quarter underway, Loyd scored a pair of baskets but Motiejunas scored a quartet of baskets to give Monaco a 53-52 lead midway through the period. Elie Okobo with a deuce and Jaron Blossomgame with a triple to go with a Diallo bucket kept the hosts in control, John Dibartolomeo went from deep while Okobo did the same keep Monaco in front 65-60 after thirty minutes of action.

Elie Okobo and Jordan Loyd – Credit: AS Monaco
Okobo opened the fourth quarter with a midrange jumper, Blossomgame drilled home a 3-pointer, Sorkin put in a bucket, Blatt added a triple, Hoard scored inside, Rivero and Papagiannis traded baskets as Monaco stayed in front 74-69 with 5:28 left in regulation time. Randolph hit a fadeaway, Okobo and Loyd went back and forth, Rivero and Loyd scored, Okobo hit a huge 3-pointer to close out the game.
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