Driven by new signing Cam Payne, who netted 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter, Partizan made a bright start and raced into a 28-17 advantage but went scoreless for six minutes after leading 31-23, as Maccabi flipped the script to edge ahead 31-36 and never looked back.
The visiting team dished out a staggering 16 assists in the first half and 29 in total, with Lonnie Walker leading the charge on 20 points, of which he netted 13 in a rampant third quarter when Maccabi sank a barrage of three-pointers. Roman Sorkin added 17 points and 6 boards for Maccabi, including some spectacular slam dunks, and the Israeli team engineered a whopping 65-101 lead early in the fourth before it took its foot off the gas. Sorkin said taking the game by the scruff of the neck before halftime was essential.
“We knew we couldn’t give them a chance because they are going through a bad moment right now and they’re a really good team,” Sorkin said in his post-game comments. “We didn’t make a good start in the first quarter but we reacted well and showed great character. We’re getting better each week but we need to keep going, it was a big win for us and a perfect introduction to the new year.”
Walker, who bedazzled his rivals with some effervescent long-range shooting and a brilliant breakaway dunk, confirmed Maccabi’s confidence was sky-high at the moment.
“I didn’t start off too well in the first half, specifically in the first quarter, but definitely picked it up as my teammates trusted me a lot. I keep saying this over and over again, we’ve got a lot of talent over here and we’re locking in during practice. Everyone is doing a great job individually and collectively as a team. Defensively we did a heck of a job and we played team basketball, the Maccabi way,” the livewire guard said.