MACCABI TEL AVIV’S Lonnie Walker hangs from the rim after an emphatic dunk for two of his game-high 31 points in the yellow-and-blue’s 102-75 league victory over Hapoel Holon at Menora Mivtachim Arena. (photo credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)JOSHUA HALICKMANMon, November 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM UTC·5 min readMaccabi TLV rebounded with a dominant win fueled by Lonnie Walker (31 pts). Holon's coach slammed the performance, while Jerusalem and Tel Aviv also notched crucial victories.
Maccabi Tel Aviv cruised past Hapoel Holon 102-75 late Sunday night as a rejuvenated Lonnie Walker scored 31 points to help lead the yellow-and-blue to the easy victory at Yad Eliyahu.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn a game that saw all 12 Maccabi players score, Oded Katash’s squad jumped out to a 57-31 lead at halftime. It never looked back to notch the win following a pair of defeats, to Bologna in the Euroleague and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israeli league action.
In addition to Walker’s 31 points, Jaylen Hoard and Jimmy Clark each had 12 points while Idan Zalmanson paced the Purples with 13 points in the loss.
“We started well, defended well, stuck to the game plan,” Katash began. “I really liked the way we played. As for Lonnie Walker, he was amazing, and he did what he knows how to do. He was good on both sides of the floor and focused. I’m happy.”
Walker also chimed in about his effort.
MACCABI TEL AVIV’S veteran guard Tamir Blatt scored the yellow-and-blue’s last nine points in the narrow 91-88 Game 1 finals victory over Hapoel Jerusalem. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)Israeli league: Hapoel TA 6-0; Holon coach slams team
“I really missed it, my guys welcomed me back nicely, and I wanted to show what I’m capable of and, most importantly, to win. I’m trying to be a leader, and I want to show my true ability.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’ll have to take a good look at ourselves,” Holon coach Danny Franco said. “Something wasn’t right in how we came into the game, and from the very first second, there was no game. I’m speaking for myself, but many of our fans came, and this is not what they expected to see, nor what we expected. It was a bad night, but it happened.”
Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem eased past Maccabi Ramat Gan 88-69 in a game that was never in doubt as the Reds jumped out to a 17-point halftime advantage and never looked back to chalk up the win.
The trio of Khadeen Carrington, Cassius Winston, and Josiah Jordan James each scored 17 points for the capital city squad, while Ronaldo Segu led the visitors with 17 points in the loss.
Jerusalem coach Yonatan Alon commented on his side’s win.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We played well, we continue to develop in the direction we want to be heading in, even with players that are missing. I liked the commitment, the way we defended, and there are many good things to take from this game. We have no games slated for the international break, so we won’t be able to work on things, but at least the injured players will have a chance to recover.”
Carrington also summed up the victory and spoke about playing for the Israel national team in the upcoming FIBA window.
“We stuck to the game plan, played the way we wanted to play, and didn’t let anything else affect the game. I need to be myself and be aggressive with Israel. That’s what I need to do and exactly what I’ll do. Every time I step on the court, I give 100%.”
Elsewhere, Hapoel Tel Aviv trounced Elitzur Netanya 93-70 to ensure that its Israeli league record remained a perfect 6-0 on the young season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Reds broke away in the second quarter to go up 46-29 at halftime and never looked back to secure the victory. Tyler Ennis led the way with 17 points, Ish Wainright added 14 points, and Johnathan Motley scored 13 points for Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad. For Netanya, Semaj Christon scored 17 points and Shaq Buchanan added 14 in the loss.
“We have no secrets to our success,” Itoudis began. “We love playing together, everyone has a role and everyone gets their place, that creates a healthy locker room. Congratulations to the players and also to the fans. They created a great atmosphere, and it gives us the push we need.”
Timor also commented on the win.
“We’re working, preparing ourselves for each game in a short time, and I’m happy to see the results. I’m glad the team has connected; we’ve been working on that. I’m happy everything is going well. We’ll have tough moments to, and that’s part of the season.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHapoel HaEmek bounced Maccabi Rishon Lezion 89-75 as half a dozen players scored in double digits to help the club to its sixth win in a row up at Gan Ner.
In a close game throughout three quarters, Sharon Avrahami’s squad finally broke free in the final frame. Cameron Henry scored 17 points and Kyler Edwards put in 16 points in the victory while Amin Stevens led Rishon 21 points in the defeat.
Bnei Herzliya defeated Hapoel Galil Elyon 88-75 as Elijah Stewart, with 23 points, and Noah Carter, with 17 points, were just too strong for the hosts playing in pastoral Kfar Blum.
Ness Ziona downed Maccabi Ra’anana 85-77 as Desi Rodriguez (20 points) and TJ Cline (14 points) paced Amit Sherf’s team to the victory.
Kiryat Ata beat Hapoel Beersheba 94-80 as Noah Locke and Bode Hume each scored 17 points to spur Eldad Bentov’s team to the win.
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