Tel aviv: Maccabi Tel Aviv narrowly defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 100-97 in a closely contested basketball EuroLeague match at the Menora Mivtachim Arena on Thursday night. The victory improved Maccabi's record to 9-13, keeping their hopes alive for a top-10 finish and a spot in the Play-In stage. Meanwhile, Zalgiris Kaunas saw their record fall to 12-10.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the Israeli team took an early lead, with Roman Sorkin and T.J. Leaf driving Maccabi to a 27-23 advantage at the close of the first quarter. The gap widened to 34-25 in the second quarter, though Zalgiris managed to close it to 52-49 by halftime, thanks to efforts from Moses Wright and Deividas Sirvydis.

In the third quarter, Maccabi regained momentum with Leaf and Jimmy Clark contributing crucial points, extending the lead to 67-57. Despite Sylvain Francisco's efforts to keep Zalgiris in the game, the score was 78-71 in favor of Maccabi entering the final quarter.

The game remained tense as Oshae Brissett's three-pointer pushed Maccabi to a 90-78 advantage. However, Zalgiris, led by Wright and Francisco, staged a comeback, trimming the deficit to 96-94 with less than two minutes left. Francisco's three-pointer brought Zalgiris within two points, but Clark's free throw ensured Maccabi's win after Maodo Lo missed a game-tying shot at the buzzer.

Clark, Leaf, and Sorkin each netted 17 points for Maccabi, while Iffe Lundberg added 13. Francisco led all scorers with 22 points for Zalgiris, with Wright achieving a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

In other EuroLeague matches, leaders Hapoel Tel Aviv are set to play against Lyon-Villeurbanne, and Monaco secured a win over Paris Basket. Valencia and Fenerbahce, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, are scheduled for key matchups. Virtus Bologna triumphed over Dubai, Baskonia bested Anadolu Efes, Bayern defeated Panathinaikos, and Milano fell to Red Star Belgrade.