Langford had 17 points for Maccabi, which amazingly hit three of 14 from three-point range for a third consecutive game.
By ALLON SINAIMACCABI TEL AVIV coach David Blatt_311(photo credit: Reuters)
A Devin Smith basket with 1.3 seconds to play saved Maccabi Tel Aviv from a third straight defeat in all competitions on Monday night, with the yellow-and-blue beating Maccabi Rishon Lezion 76-75 on the road in BSL action.After being thrashed by 24 points at Real Madrid in the Euroleague last Thursday and suffering its first defeat of the season in the Adriatic League at KK Zagreb two days later, Maccabi was desperate to release pressure on Monday with a BSL win.Tel Aviv had lost just three times in its first 26 games in all competitions this season and three defeats in five days would have set the alarm bells ringing.
Rishon had victory in sight when it took a four-point lead (75-71) into the final minute, but Keith Langford’s three-point play with 50 seconds remaining brought the visitors back within reach and the hosts lost their composure at both ends of the floor to allow Smith to win the game.“People aren’t used to us losing two games in a row, but we did what a winning team does in the closing stages tonight and got the victory,” Maccabi coach David Blatt said. “We are going through a tough period, but we are in great shape overall.”Langford had 17 points for Maccabi, which amazingly hit three of 14 from three-point range for a third consecutive game.Lior Eliyahu and Shawn James added 12 points each, with Derwin Kitchen and Joe Crawford scoring 17 points apiece for Rishon, which squandered a golden opportunity to claim a memorable victory over the yellow-and-blue.
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