By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Scottie Wilbekin drained a pair of free throws in the last seconds to hand Maccabi Tel Aviv an 80 – 79 win over Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Winner League. The Yellows were without head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos who has tested positive for COVID-19 plus injured big man Ante Zizic.
Guy Pnini missed in his game-winning attempt for Holon after Wilbekin’s go-ahead free throws. With the score 69 – 75, Holon had made a 1 – 8 run in the final minutes to take the lead twice but didn’t manage to close the game. This result improved Maccabi to 9 – 6 and sent them in the fourth place in the standings while Holon is fifth with an 8 – 6 record.
Wilbekin finished with 15 points while Keenan Evans dropped a game-high 21 points to pace Maccabi overall. Jalen Reynolds had 13 points plus five rebounds and Derrick Williams scored 11.
Chris Johnson (19 points) and Adam Smith (14 points) stood out from Holon. Their team went off to a 14 – 24 start and led 46 – 49 at halftime. They took another double-digit lead, 47 – 57 in the third period.
Maccabi reacted with an 11-2 run and got its first lead in the game, holding a steady advantage in the fourth period. Holon made a short comeback of its own before the finale.