Besiktas GAIN announced themselves to the new EuroLeague season in the loudest possible way, rolling into Maccabi Tel Aviv's home floor and leaving with a 109-93 victory that was every bit as convincing as the 16-point margin suggests. The visitors were sharper, faster and far more efficient on offense, turning a tight first half into a one-sided second half and handing Maccabi a defeat that will sting long after the final buzzer.

Match overview

Maccabi started brightly in front of a passionate home crowd, attacking the paint early and getting good looks around the rim. The hosts led for much of the opening quarter and went into the break with a slender advantage, having kept Besiktas' shooters in check for stretches. But the game turned decisively after halftime. Besiktas exploded out of the locker room with a 12-0 run, forced Maccabi into a string of rushed possessions, and never surrendered the lead again.

By the end of the third quarter the contest had been flipped on its head, and the closing period was essentially a Besiktas exhibition. The Turkish side kept scoring in transition, kept moving the ball, and finished with a scoring total that few teams manage on the road in Europe's toughest domestic-free competition.

Key moments

• The third-quarter surge: Besiktas' 12-0 run immediately after halftime broke the game open and forced Maccabi into catch-up basketball.
• Three-point barrage: Back-to-back triples from the wing pushed the lead into double digits and drained the energy from the arena.
• Maccabi's turnover trouble: A series of live-ball giveaways turned into easy Besiktas points at the other end, killing any hope of a fourth-quarter comeback.
• Closing free throws: Besiktas went to the line repeatedly in the final four minutes and converted, refusing to let the margin slip back under ten.

Tactical story

Besiktas won this game with pace and shot quality. Their guards pushed the ball relentlessly after makes and misses alike, attacking before Maccabi's half-court defense could set. That approach produced a huge advantage in transition scoring and opened up the perimeter for their shooters, who finished the night with 14 made three-pointers.

Defensively, Besiktas switched aggressively on screens and dared Maccabi's big men to beat them from the outside. The hosts obliged with a cold shooting night from beyond the arc, and their offense became increasingly predictable as the game wore on. Maccabi also lost the rebounding battle, giving Besiktas second-chance opportunities that compounded the damage.

Standout players

Besiktas' backcourt set the tone from the opening tip. Jonah Mathews led all scorers with 24 points, including five three-pointers, repeatedly punishing Maccabi's defense for going under screens. Berk Uğurlu controlled the tempo with 15 points and eight assists, while the frontcourt chipped in with timely offensive rebounds and physical interior defense.

For Maccabi, Roman Sorkin was the most reliable offensive option with 18 points on efficient shooting, and Tamir Blatt added 15 points and eight assists, but the supporting cast struggled to find rhythm. The hosts' bench was outscored significantly, a fact that became more glaring as the deficit grew.

Standings and season impact

In a EuroLeague regular season where point differential can decide playoff seeding, a 16-point road win carries extra value. Besiktas leave with a road victory against a traditional heavyweight — exactly the kind of result that builds belief in a locker room and gives opponents something to worry about on film. Maccabi, meanwhile, will need to address their half-court execution and turnover issues quickly, because the EuroLeague calendar offers very little time to dwell on a defeat like this.

What's next

Both clubs now turn to the next round of EuroLeague action, with Besiktas looking to back up their road statement at home and Maccabi eager to respond with a more disciplined performance on both ends of the floor. For now, the headline belongs to Besiktas GAIN — and to a 109-point road performance nobody saw coming.