Maccabi suffers 2nd Israeli league defeat of the season in Jerusalem
22/12/2024
HOME·News Archive· Maccabi suffers 2nd Israeli league defeat of the season in Jerusalem
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv suffered their second defeat in the Israeli Basketball Premier League this season, as Hapoel Jerusalem beat them 84:101 in the capital as part of the 11th round.
The tired and short-handed yellow-and-blue team, arriving just 48 hours after a tough EuroLeague game in Belgrade and without Wenyen Gabriel and Jasiel Rivero, struggled to find energy. Levi Randolph's 22 points in his first visit to Jerusalem as adversary were not enough to lift the Maccabees.
The hosts enjoyed a rain of three-pointers, especially in the second half, and finished with 15-out-of-25 from deep. The jumped to a 18-2 lead to start the game, although Maccabi fought back and shortened the deficit to only 4. But it was the hosts barrage from three-point range that stifled any comeback attempt by the champs, who fell after four straight local wins.
Oded Kattash and his team will now turn their focus towards another challenging EuroLeague matchup in Belgrade, this time against Zalgiris. The coach will have newcomer Trevion Williams at his disposal by then, and will hope to also receive another injured big to the roster.