During the first 36 minutes of the Tel Aviv Derby, it seemed nothing could take the victory away from Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. But out of nowhere, Hapoel Tel Aviv stormed back to overcome an 11-point 4th quarter deficit and win this time around, 89-86.

In the first rematch since last season’s league championship series, the reigning champs dominated on both sides of the court for the majority of the contest. Wade Baldwin IV was terrific with 21 points and 8 assists, and Maccabi limited their rivals to only 38 first half points.

Bonzie Colson had a great outing as well with 17 points, helping Maccabi control the score. But in the final minutes, a series of missed shots and lost balls on offense, coupled with an offensive burst by Xavier Munford on the other hand, tilted the scoreline the other way. Maccabi are now 3-2 in the Israeli leauge, and are due for a return home to Yad Eliyahu to face Kiryat Ata on Monday.