The Yellow & Blue look to stay undefeated against the Reds from the southern capital before entering the final phase of the domestic season
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will enter the third round of the Israeli Winner League as the standings leaders, but beforehand, Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad will head down south on Wednesday evening to face Hapoel Be’er Sheva (18:00, Live on Sport5 – Channel 55) in the final fixture of the second round.
Scottie Wilbekin, Othello Hunter, Ante Zizic, Omri Casspi and Yonatan Atias will sit this one out and will not be available for coach Giannis Sfairopoulos.
The Israeli champions dominated Rami Hadar’s squad 100:74 in Menora Mivtachim Arena, playing excellent team basketball, finishing with five double-digit scorers. Othello Hunter led the way with 16 points, Oz Blayzer tallied 15 points and eight rebounds, John Dibartolomeo added 15 points and five assists. Maccabi won all six meetings between the two sides, including an 80:63 victory in Conch Arena last season.
Be’er Sheva comes into the contest with a positive 12:11 record, and after a 93:88 win over Hapoel Eilat on Saturday night. Rami Hadar’s group knocked down a club record 20 three-pointers in the game, as their Caleb Agada, who’s been the Reds top performer, finished the night with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The swingman averages 21.7 points, and 6.4 rebounds per game as Eric Griffin contributes 18.1 points and 6.9 boards.
