Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv returns to the domestic action as they head out on the road to face Hapoel Haifa as part of the State Cup Round of 32 (Sunday, 21:15, live on Sport5 - Channel 55). Sunday's matchup will be the fourth head to head battle between the two clubs this season, as the Yellow & Blue defeated the Red's in all three matches so far.

Elijah Bryant, Chris Jones and Dragan Bender will rest this time, as will injured Eidan Alber. 

During the preseason, Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad beat Elad Hasin's team 89:84 in Hadar Yosef, followed by an 83:74 victory in the Winner Cup Quarterfinals. The last matchup between the two sides came on November 23rd as Maccabi beat Haifa 81:75 in the Winner League behind a 21 point performance by Oz Blayzer.



Maccabi Tel Aviv holds the record for most cup titles with 44, although not winning one in the past three years as Israeli League champions. The last Cup was in the 2016/17 season, after beating Hapoel Jerusalem in the finals 82:68.

After Sunday's game, Sfairopoulos's group will head out to Villeurbanne as part of the 14th EuroLeague fixture and close out the six-game road trip against Barcelona on Friday night. 

Hapoel Haifa, the latest newcomer to the Israeli League, possesses well-known players like Karam Mashour, Amit Simhon, Jason Siggers, Ziv Ben Zvi, and Igor Nesterenko. Hapoel's coach, Elad Hasin, worked as a scout for Maccabi Tel Aviv and served as an assistant coach in 2005/6.

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv proceeded to the State Cup Quarter-Finals after a commanding 98:73 road victory over Hapoel Haifa. After a tight first half, Scottie Wilbekin, with the help of Yovel Zoosman and John DiBartolomeo, ran away from the Reds midway through the third quarter and never looked back for a convincing 25 point win.

Zoosman and DiBartolomeo, who are returning from lengthy injuries, scored in double figures after seeing extended minutes tonight, paying back with high energy, excellent defense, and high percentages from beyond the arc. Wilbekin knocked down 6 of 12 shots from deep while adding 8 assists. Ante Zizic (12 points and 10 rebounds), and Othello Hunter (9 points, 8 boards) completed one another inside as Tyler Dorsey (12 points), and Sandy Cohen (8 points) contributed reliable minutes.  

Giannis Sfairopoulos opened with Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Oz Blayzer, Othello Hunter, and Ante Zizic in the starting five. Jason Siggers and Keenan Evans led the hosts to a quick 6:0 start, which led to a Sfairopoulos timeout two minutes in the contest. Zizic converted two from the free-throw line for Maccabi's first points of the night, and after multiple buckets from the visitors, Wilbekin gave the Yellow & Blue a 9:8 edge.



Amit Simhon found Igor Nesterenko in the paint for back to back baskets while Sandy Cohen responded on the other end, scoring five consecutive points as part of a 9:0 stretch, 20:15. Ex Maccabi Karam Mashour and Lennard Freeman closed out the first quarter, 22:19.

Rakeem Buckles hit two straight triples granting Haifa a two-point edge, Cohen blocked Simhon, which led to Tyler Dorsey's fastbreak points tying the game at 27. Wilbekin heated up from deep, drilling two-three pointers, including a 4 point play as Simhon and Siggers answered for the Reds, 35:38. 

Wilbekin knocked down another shot from deep for his 13th point of the first half, Hunter converted a three-point play, and next possession, Zoosman grabbed an offensive board after a Hunter miss and laid in two, concluding an 8:0 Maccabi run, 43:38. Evans scored two from the charity strike setting the halftime score at 43:40 in favor of the Israeli champs.



Zizic went to work inside for the Yellow & Blue as Nesterenko and Evans cut the edge and regained the lead for Haifa's side's, 47:50. Zoosman started an incredible 17:0 run with back to back triples. John DiBartolomeo stumbled but held on to the ball and pulled up a circus shot at the end of the shot clock as Zizic recovered a Blayzer miss laying two in the paint, giving the visitors a 64:50 advantage.

Buckels stopped the lengthened run with a long shot from three. However, a Zizic block on the defensive end led to a DiBartolomeo triple, who added another one from deep after Cohen's assist opening a 19 point Maccabi margin. An Elad Hassin timeout didn't stop the Yellow & Blue captain who stole the ball from Siggers, which led to a Dorsey slam, 74:55. 

The visitors continued to ramp up the margin as Zizic racked up points in the paint, and Wilbekin added two shots from three, 86:62. Dori Sahar and Yonatan Atias came in the final minutes and scored buckets for the visitors. Maccabi advances to the State Cup Quarter-Finals after a dominant 98:73 win.

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