Tamir Blatt goes from zero to hero
Blatt missed a three and then Trey Lyles tied the score from the line, 89-89, with 1:05 remaining. Then Walker missed a tough shot. Maccabi played good defense on the other end and forced a miss, but Blatt was called for a foul while boxing out Facu Campazzo. The Argentinian playmaker made 2 from the line to give Madrid its first lead of the second half with 25.7 seconds remaining.
Walker pulled up early on the ensuing possession and missed, but Hezonja fell out of bounds after taking the rebound, giving Maccabi new life. This time, Blatt pulled up for a deep three with 4.3 seconds to go that would prove to be the game-winner, but only after Hezonja missed a very makeable shot on the final possession.
So remember Kattash’s words about effort, character and luck. Maccabi checked all three boxes.
Thrilled with the victory, Walker was quick to point out after the game that he and his team still have plenty to work on.
“I know I’ve got to play better. I missed a couple of free throws,” Walker said in starting his post-game interview. “But the overall game effort from not just myself, but from my team, I think we capitalized and we did a good job when we bounced back from our last game where we were up by 13 with 3 minutes left. We capitalized this time, so this is growth and we’ve still got room for improvement, so I’m really, really happy with today.”
Kattash was quick to credit Walker not just for his second quarter, but for how he handled himself in the second half, when he only scored 4 points.