The Yellow & Blue extend the gap at the top with the win over the reds. Wilbekin led the charge with 21 points and 10 assists, Stoudemire added 17 points and 12 rebounds
Four fixtures to the completion of the regular season, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv took a big step toward securing the first place and hosting the final four in Menora Mivtachim Arena. The Yellow & Blue recovered after a mediocre first half, came back from a 13 point deficit, and stayed undefeated at home in league play with an 86:80 win. Thursday: On the road against Guy Goodes’s Maccabi Rishon LeZion.
Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Deni Avdija, Quincy Acy, and Amar’e Stoudemire opened in Giannis Sfairopoulos’s starting five. Like the last game, Stoudemire scored the host’s first 4 points while on the other end, Suleiman Braimoh responded with 4 of his own for a 4:4 tie. Wilbekin ignited an 11:2 Maccabi run after dishing three consecutive assists for shots from deep while hitting one of his own, 18:12 Maccabi. In response, James Feldine heated up, connecting for seven straight points, which gave Jerusalem a 19:18 advantage. Ex Maccabi Jeremy Pargo increased the reds lead in the final minutes of the quarter, after 10 minutes, 27:21 Jerusalem.
The visitors continued their positive momentum as Pargo extended the advantage to 11. Still, Wilbekin took it upon himself to bring the Yellow & Blue back within striking range, scoring five straight points, 26:32. Stoudemire reduced the lead down to 4, but Feldine and Braimoh made sure to spike the advantage back to double-digit, 42:31. Wilbekin hit a three on the buzzer of the first half, 47:38 Jerusalem.
Braimoh and Emanuel Terry expanded the lead up to 13, but the hosts shifted the momentum from that point on. Stoudemire drove for a 3 point play, Wilbekin and Avdija knocked in shots from deep, which led to Oded Katash calling a timeout, 49:53. After a 10:0 Maccabi run keeping Jerusalem scoreless for 4 minutes, Pargo cut the dry spell with a bucket, but Avdija and Wilbekin tied the game at 55. The lead swung from side to side; Bar Timor dished two excellent assists, which led to a 6 point Reds advantage. Jake Cohen cut down the lead by half heading to the final quarter, 64:61 Jerusalem.
Cohen added 5 additional points with a dazzling dunk and a tough basket in transition, 65:64. Elijah Bryant and Idan Zalmanson exchanged buckets, as Wilbekin fed Stoudemire inside the paint, 76:74, with 3 minutes left on the game clock. Pargo hit a three-pointer, which gave the visitors a one-point advantage, but from that point out, Maccabi went on a 10:0 run in the final minutes with Bryant scoring 5 of those points. John Holland knocked in three consecutive free throws to close out the game, as Maccabi beat Hapoel Jerusalem 86:80.
