Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is two wins away from lifting their fourth consecutive Israeli Winner League championship after a dramatic 80:79 win sealing a series sweep over Hapoel Eilat in the southern city. With the win, the Yellow & Blue stayed perfect in the playoffs as they'll look to complete the task against the winner of the series between Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Gilboa/Galil.
Jones was dominant on both sides of the court, stepping up tonight leading Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad with a career-high 27 points (63% from the field), adding to that 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists for a total of 38 PIR. Wilbekin contributed 15 points and knocked down decisive buckets late in the contest, including a three from behind the arc that shifted the lead to the Yellow & Blue with one minute left.
Before summarising the game, head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos sent his sympathy to Casey Prather: "It's unfortunate to see players that try to give their best for the game and get hit like that in a serious injury like what we suffered a couple of weeks ago with Dragan (Bender). I would like to wish him and Eilat all the best".
About the game: "It was a very close contest. At the end of the first half, Eilat went up by double digits, but we reduced the deficit to 8 at halftime. In the second half, we played much better defensively, allowing only 10 points in the third quarter, which was vital for our return. In the end, we converted some tough baskets, fought hard and one offensive rebound, and stopped determined the series. I'm happy with the way we played, we never gave up, although we had low percentages from the free-throw line and at times rushed shots".
Importance of this victory: "This series win over a quality opponent like Eilat that plays extremely tough here at their home court gives us confidence and builds our character going forward".
"We didn't come in playing our best game, but in crucial moments, we got stops and did what we were supposed to do", Said the MVP of the night Chris Jones. "I want to give credit to my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me, giving me the ball in crucial moments, and I took advantage of it today. I'm happy we got the W, receiving another day of rest to prepare for the finals".
Angelo Caloiaro added: "Tonight was a classic playoff game, a battle between 2 teams with a big desire to win. We want to thank our fans who came all the way to Eilat, they supported us, and this win is for them".