Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv continues their journey in the Israeli Winner League, competing against Hapoel Holon, completing the rescheduled third domestic league fixture (20:00, live on Sport5 - Channel 55). Tonight's contest will be Maccabi's fifth Israel League contest of the season, winning all four games so far.

Yovel Zoosman returns to Giannis Sfairopoulos's team after missing the start of the season due to injury. The 22-year-old averaged 25.8 minutes in the Winner League, providing 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals, providing a strong defensive presence. The five-year veteran raised his numbers during the playoffs, scoring 12 points (63.6% from 2) and grabbing 6.5 rebounds in 30.5 minutes. Chris Jones, Omri Casspi, Tyler Dorsey, and Dragan Bender will sit out this matchup.



The Holon squad is still looking for their first domestic league win after dropping the first three fixtures. However, in the Balkan League, Stefanos Dedas's unit holds a 3:0 record after beating Ironi Ness Ziona 100:79. Holon's squad contains familiar faces who wore the Maccabi jersey in the past: Guy Pnini, Yogev Ohayon, and Frederic Bourdillon. 

Over the years, the teams faced each other 118 times as Maccabi holds a commanding 104:14 record. Eleven of Holon's wins were as hosts as Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad maintains a four-game winning streak. Deni Avdija led the Yellow & Blue in the last matchup, producing 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in the 100:69 triumph over the Purples.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv dropped their first domestic game of the season after a 76:79 loss to Hapoel Holon as part of the third Israeli Winner League fixture. With the defeat, the Yellow & Blue record falls to 4:1 as Yovel Zoosman played 12 minutes in his season debut. 

Elijah Bryant finished as Maccabi's top scorer with 21 points while adding 5 rebounds. Othello Hunter contributed 12 points, and 7 rebounds as Angelo Caloiaro added 12 points. C.J Harris produced 26 points for the winning side, and Maxime De Zeeuw performed well, recording 15 points.



Recap
Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Yovel Zoosman, Oz Blayzer, and Ante Zizic started for the Yellow & Blue.

Wlibekin shot in a left-handed floater for Maccabi's first points of the evening and knocked down a three-pointer as Chris Johnson laid in two layups on the other end, 6:7. Maxime De Zeeuw connected from deep, C.J. Harris tallied five consecutive points, and Johnson followed with four more as part of a 12:3 stretch giving the hosts a double-digit margin, 9:19.

Othello Hunter came off the bench and scored 4 points inside, Harris continued his great first quarter, tallying 9 points. John DiBartolomeo read a Holon pass on the defensive end, which led to an easy Angelo Caloiaro slam, and Dori Sahar closed out the quarter with his first two after grabbing an offensive board, 18:28. 



Sahar and DiBartolomeo cut the Purple's lead down to six, laying in back-to-back points in the paint, but Guy Pnini hit a shot from deep, and De Zeeuw converted two from the line regaining a double-digit edge, 22:33. A total Maccabi effort after a Caloiaro miss led the forward to dish a beautiful alley-oop dunk to Blazer, who next possession knocked down a triple.

Sahar blocked Frederic Bourdillon, which ignited a left corner Bryant triple who added another three-pointer, this time on the right corner, 33:36. Bourdillon and Harris responded with two shots from deep as Johnson totaled two more from the charity strike, 35:43. Bryant laid in two, and Hunter stole the ball on the defensive end, who finished it solely with a two-handed slam. Harris concluded the first half with two mid-range connections, 39:47.

Harris (6 points) and Workman (3 points) tallied all of Holon's first 9 points of the quarter as Bryant, with Sahar and Hunter's help, reduced the edge down to 5, 51:56. Johnson, Bourdillon, and Pnini scored the rest of Holon's point all from the free-throw line, as Maccabi stopped the hosts on 13 third-quarter points. 

On the other end, Bryant found Hunter inside, Sandy Cohen drove to the bucket, laid in two as he was fouled, converting a three-point possession, and then dished an assist to the American center who slammed it home. The Yellow & Blue head to the fourth quarter with a 2 point deficit, 58:60.



Maccabi's ramped up defense extended to the final period, stopping Holon scoreless for the first 2:20 minutes. Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad took advantage as a Cohen steal led to a Zoosman layup, which tied the game at 60, and Caloiaro was left wide open from deep who knocked it down, giving his squad their first advantage of the night. 

Pnini converted two of three from the charity strike, Isaiah Miles drilled a triple, and Harris regained the edge for Holon. Still, Caloiaro tallied seven consecutive points tying the game at 67. Bourdillon and Jones (three-point play) scored buckets inside as Wilbekin and Zizic went to the free-throw line, converting 5 of 6 from the line, 72:72.

De Zeeuw hit a crucial three-pointer with 1:16 left on the game clock, giving Holon a 3 point margin, Bryant replied with a decisive layup. After a Harris miss, Bryant tried to retake the lead but missed the layup, which led to a foul on Harris with 14 seconds left. Harris scored twice from the strike, and after a Bryant turnover, De Zeeuw made two from the line, which sealed the deal. Holon beats Maccabi 79:76.