The upper house of basketball closes at this hour with the Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi and Hapoel, at the end of which the team that finishes in first place will be determined. Maccabi Tel Aviv wants in addition to securing the summit also to recover from the loss in the fifth game in Monaco that ended its path to this season in the Euroleague, while Hapoel Tel Aviv hopes to win a second consecutive derby, finish first despite being far from impressive in recent games and meet Hapoel Be'er / Sheva Dimona in the playoffs.
As mentioned, whoever finishes in first place will meet Hapoel Be'er / Sheva Dimona in the playoffs. Maccabi Tel Aviv will finish first if it wins, otherwise it will finish second and compete in a playoff against Bnei Herzliya. The Reds, in case of loss, will finish in third place and will compete in a playoff against Ironi Nes Ziona.
Oded Ketch has given up rotation and his roster includes all of the team's stars – Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin, Bonzi Coulson, Jerrell Martin and Josh Nivo. Hapoel Tel Aviv went into the meeting without the injured Idan Zalmanson and Adam Ariel, who suffered an ankle injury in training. Danny Franco listed Jalen Hord who did not play in the last game, but was found fit and preferred over JP Tokoto.
Another derby was underway. Jake Cohen vs. Tomer Ginat (Photo: Kobi Eliyahu)
Gameplay
Quarter 1:
Tomer Ginat scored Hapoel's first points in layup, while Wade Baldwin equalized with the Yellows' first basket. A three-pointer by Bar Timur put the Reds up 2-7, but Lorenzo Brown was accurate from the paint and cut it down. Bonzi Coulson equalized with a shot from outside the arc, Ginat restored the advantage to Hapoel and Roman Sorkin equalized with a tight opening.
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Tags
- Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball
- Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball