In a scrimmage closed to fans and the media at Hadar Yosef, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 84-61. Ingles scored 22, Smith added 17 points and 8 rebounds.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 84-61 in a preseason scrimmage. Joe Ingles was outstanding with 22 points, Devin Smith had one of his usual excellent games with 17 points and 8 rebounds, Yogev Ohayon ran the game well with 9 points and 8 assists, Sylven Landesberg also scored 9 points, and Sofo Schortsanitis and Jake Cohen (7 rebounds) each added 7 points. Shawn James, Alex Tyus, Ricky Hickman, Yuval Naimy and Tyrese Rice did not suit up.
After the game, head coach David Blatt said, “The goal for this team we’ve built is to play a game that is fast, open and enjoyable to watch. For the last three years, I haven’t been with the team at this stage of the preseason, because I was abroad with the Russian National Team. This year I traded places with Guy Goodes, who was with the British National Team. We’ve done a good job so far. We haven’t been playing with the full roster, so I would say the results have been good, maybe even very good.”
“Guy Pnini and Yogev Ohayon have gotten back into the swing of things with the team. I just want to say, what happened with the [Israeli] National Team really hurt, and even more so the things written about them in the press; this is my personal opinion. It’s true they didn’t play well, but there are limits. Anyway, Guy and Yogev came back in great shape; Alex less so because of his injury. Ricky and Tyrese, who also played in the EuroBasket, haven’t started practicing yet. Sofo played very well in the first game, and tonight he got into foul trouble but I can tell you that so far he is our best player.”
Game MVP Joe Ingles added, “Things still aren’t running smoothly, because not everyone is playing and some of the guys only just got here. But we played well and I believe will will get even better. It’s a great group of guys, the system is excellent and we’re all working toward the same purpose. It’s fun being part of this team. It’s always good to play against strong teams in preseason tournaments, and it will help us come together as a unit.”
Blatt’s starting five were Ingles, Smith, Sofo, Landesberg and Cohen. Maccabi got off to a strong start, taking a 12-4 lead halfway through the first quarter off three pointers by Smith and Ingles and points by Cohen in the paint. Smith and Ingles continued to score, forcing Jerusalem to call for a time out with the score 20-8. Maccabi Electra continued to dominate, with Landesberg and Ohayon scoring to make it 27-11 at the end of the first period.
Maccabi continued to play well in the opening minutes of the second quarter, with Sofo scoring in the paint and delivering a nice assist to Ohayon at the arc, putting Maccabi up 31-11. Landesberg continued to play well, scoring to put Maccabi’s lead at 39-13 halfway through the period. Hapoel’s big man Artsiom Parakhouski made things tough for Maccabi in the paint, narrowing the gap slightly, but Ingles added another trey and Ben Altit threw down a dunk that kept Maccabi’s lead comfortable. Points by Jerusalem’s Derwin Kitchen closed out the half with the score 53-28.
Maccabi Electra didn’t open well in the third quarter, but a bucket and 1 by Sofo and a nice inbounds play by Landesberg and Smith soon put them back on track. A three pointer by Josh Duncan didn’t help Jerusalem much, and midway through the period the score was 59-36. Blatt gave Smith and Ingles a chance to rest, putting in young Arad Harari for the first time. Landesberg delivered a nice assist to Harari on a fast break and a three by Pnini sent Jerusalem into a huddle before the period ended with the score 70-44.
Jerusalem seemed more focused at the start of the fourth quarter, taking advantage of an unsportsmanlike charge against Smith to cut the deficit to 75-57 four minutes into the period. Five straight points by Ingles put Maccabi back on track, making it 80-57 with three minutes left in the game. A thrilling dunk by Altit and points by Pnini finished things off, and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 84-61.
BOXSCORE
Maccabi: Ingles 22 points (4 of 4 from downtown); Smith 17 points and 8 rebounds; Ohayon (8 assists) and Landesberg 9 points each; Cohen (7 rebounds) and Sofo 7 points each; Altit 6 points; Pnini 5 points; Harari 2 points.
