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A week after guaranteeing the top slot in the league, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv lost to the Haifa Heat 79 \u2013 76 in a thrilling game that was decided, in the end, by free throws. With D\u2019or Fischer\u2019s return to fitness, he rejoined Maccabi\u2019s starting lineup. The second quarter started off like a ping-pong match of baskets, until Ido Kozikaro put the hosts on top, 30 \u2013 28 with six and a half minutes remaining until halftime. <\/SPAN> Maccabi looked hesitant in the opening minutes of the second half, with bizarre turnovers and missed shots. Maccabi opened the final period strong on defense, and on offense looked to Casspi, who single-handedly put Maccabi back in the game, tying the score at 58 in the first minute. A miss under the basket for Eliyahu and a turnover by Fischer immediately afterwards were crucial mistakes for Maccabi, with Next up on the line was Jefferson of Haifa, who missed both of his free throws. Box Scores Maccabi<\/SPAN><\/B>: McGhee 20 points, 7 rebounds; Casspi 12 points; Eliyahu 11 points; Arroyo 9 points, 8 assists; Limonad 8 points, 5 assists; Fischer 4 points, 9 rebounds; Green 1 point. Haifa Heat<\/SPAN><\/B>: Jefferson 28 points; Kozikaro 17 points; Perkins 13 points; Dixon 10 points; Ben David 5 points; Mizrachi 4 points; Sales 2 points.<\/SPAN><\/P> <\/SPAN> <\/P> Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon<\/B> said after the game, \u201dThey played more decisively than we did, but that\u2019s not the reason we lost. \u201cIt\u2019s not a matter of stopping one particular player or another. \u201cI congratulate Winning coach Avi Ashkenazi<\/B> said, \u201cWe have a great atmosphere here at home, and it\u2019s a lot of fun. \u201cThis is what Jeff Rosen (owner of the Haifa Heat) wanted when he came here. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s about me.
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<\/SPAN>Top players for Maccabi Tel Aviv were Aaron McGhee with 20 points, and Raviv Limonad, who was outstanding in the first half.
<\/SPAN>Maccabi will close out the regular season next week at home, against Hapoel Holon, on Saturday night.
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<\/SPAN>Joining him were Carlos Arroyo, Marcus Brown, Omri Casspi, and Lior Eliyahu.
<\/SPAN>Maccabi got off to a running start with a three-pointer from Brown and an alley-oop from Arroyo converted into points by Eliyahu, and led the game 5
<\/SPAN>Devon Jefferson took matters in hand for
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<\/SPAN>D\u2019or Fischer got called for his second foul very early in the quarter, and went to the bench to rest.
<\/SPAN>McGhee and Limonad were effective both offensively and defensively, and Maccabi came within one, 23 \u2013 22 following 4 points by Omri Casspi.
<\/SPAN>McGhee scored at the buzzer to end the first quarter in a 24 \u2013 24 tie.
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<\/SPAN>After a time-out called by Maccabi, Fischer scored two free throws to put the visitors back on top with five minutes left.
<\/SPAN>The momentum stayed with Maccabi thanks largely to excellent partnership between Limonad and McGhee, and the latter put Maccabi up 38 \u2013 32 with three minutes left in the period.
<\/SPAN>Jefferson and Doron Perkins quickly chipped away at that lead, but Limonad sent brilliant dishes to Arroyo and Eliyahu to end the half with Maccabi leading 45 \u2013 40.<\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/P> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maccabi.co.il\/mtpic\/IMG_8888.jpg\")
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<\/SPAN>Kozikaro took advantage, closing the gap slightly to 47 \u2013 44.
<\/SPAN>Arroyo went to the bench, and Mizrachi led the home team to a 49 \u2013 47 lead with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
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<\/SPAN>Yaniv Green came into the game for Maccabi to bolster up the defense, and a three-pointer by Marcus Brown put Maccabi back in the game.
<\/SPAN>With two and a half minutes left in the period, Maccabi came within three, 56 \u2013 53.
<\/SPAN>But at the end of a horrible quarter for Maccabi the Heat led, 58 \u2013 53.
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<\/SPAN>A shot from downtown by Casspi put Maccabi briefly back on top, but was quickly answered by a three-pointer by Amit Ben David for Haifa.
<\/SPAN>With five minutes left in the game, a three-pointer by Marcus Brown closed the gap the hosts had opened, 68 \u2013 66.
<\/SPAN>For awhile both teams had trouble scoring, and with three minutes remaining the hosts led by four, after both Arroyo and Brown missed shots from three point range.
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<\/SPAN>A shot by Malik Dixon put the home team up by six, but was immediately answered by McGhee, putting Maccabi within 4 with 38 seconds left on the clock.
<\/SPAN>Two free throws by Dixon put Haifa back up 78 \u2013 72, and two by McGhee from the line returned the 4 point difference with 28 seconds remaining.
<\/SPAN>Perkins missed one and made one from the free throw mark, leaving a 5 point lead for
<\/SPAN>With 19 seconds left, Limonad scored both of his free throws, once again putting Maccabi within three.
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<\/SPAN>With 13 second left in the game, Arroyo went to the line for Maccabi and missed his first shot.
<\/SPAN>He deliberately missed the second, but Perkins grabbed the rebound for
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<\/SPAN>Dee Brown and Charles Gaines played but did not score.
<\/SPAN>Tre Simmons and Dror Hagag sat out the game in street clothes.
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<\/SPAN>I know what the reasons are, but I don\u2019t want to talk about them.
<\/SPAN>The outcome of this game was decided before it was played.
<\/SPAN>I choose not to get angry about it.
<\/SPAN>One fact is certain: we lost two games this season with the same referee.\u201d
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<\/SPAN>Avi (Ashkenazi, head coach for the Haifa Heat) started out smart, focusing on Lior Eliyahu.
<\/SPAN>For most of the game we played well, and the score should have been higher.
<\/SPAN>In the last quarter they called more fouls, and at the end there were fouls that didn\u2019t get called.
<\/SPAN>There\u2019s no law of advantages in basketball.
<\/SPAN>If they\u2019ve changed the rule, nobody\u2019s told me.\u201d
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<\/SPAN>In the league, they rank <\/SPAN><\/B>teams and make sure each one has his spot.
<\/SPAN>That\u2019s what happened, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s professional,\u201d concluded Gershon after his third Israeli league loss this season.
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<\/SPAN>We\u2019re guaranteed third place, on the condition that
<\/SPAN>If they do win, more power to them.\u201d
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<\/SPAN>This victory was important to him, and it\u2019s another stage of development for the team.
<\/SPAN>Naturally, I was nervous at the end, maybe because the memory of three-pointer in the
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<\/SPAN>The team has had an incredible two years.
<\/SPAN>Lately, we\u2019ve played badly, but now I think we\u2019re headed in the right direction.
<\/SPAN>We don\u2019t need to talk; we need to work hard and win.
<\/SPAN>We need to play strong on defense, and then we can beat any team.\u201d