Despite improving to 6-1 on the season, Maccabi once more had to work hard for what in the past used to be a straightforward league win.
By ALLON SINAIMaccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt 311 (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to the top of the BSL standings on Monday night, defeating Hapoel Holon 84- 75 at Nokia Arena.Despite improving to 6-1 on the season, Maccabi once more had to work hard for what in the past used to be a straightforward league win.Maccabi had a four-point edge (41-37) at the break and there was still little to separate the teams after 25 minutes, with Holon holding a three-point lead (49-46) midway through the third period.
However, Maccabi edged ahead in the second part of the third frame and had little trouble holding on to the nine-point margin (64-55) it took into the final 10 minutes.Keith Langford proved he is slowly finding his place at Maccabi by scoring 21 points and collecting five assists.Richard Hendrix added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Devin Smith scored 15 for David Blatt’s men, who visit Real Madrid in a crucial Euroleague encounter on Thursday.Ron Lewis and Tasmin Mitchell had 18 points each for Holon, with Bryant Dunston contributing 11 points and 15 rebounds.Moran Rot had 12 points and 10 assists in a losing cause, but shot just four of 13 from the field for Dan Shamir’s team, which hosts Hapoel Jerusalem next week.
