Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv will make her way back to their home court in Yad Eliyahu as they'll host the Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv, as part of the 17th Israeli league fixture (Sunday, 21:00, live on Sport5 - channel 55). The Yellow & Blue come into the game owning a 15:0 record in domestic play and a perfect home record as the hosts in Menorah Mivtachim Arena. 

Maccabi's newest addition, Amar'e Stoudemire, who just landed on Friday afternoon, took part in practice as he got to meet his new teammates. The big man is expected to make his debut in the Yellow & Blue jersey after he was registered to the game against the city rival. John DiBartolomeo, Tarik Black, Omri Casspi, Nate Wolters, and Yovel Zoosman, who broke his right thumb last week against Maccabi Haifa, will all sit out because of injuries.

The full roster: Elijah Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, Quincy Acy, Othello Hunter, Deni Avdija, Tyler Dorsey, Jake Cohen, Dori Sahar, Harel Rinski, Yonatan Atias, and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Hapoel comes into the contest after parting ways with coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, which managed the reds to a 6:10 record. Barak Lederer, who worked as Beit Halachmi's assistant coach, will serve as the interim coach in the matchup. The teams met three times this season as the Yellow & Blue came on top in all three games.

"A derby is always a derby no matter the conditions", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos before the meeting against Hapoel. "We need to be very focused, do the job on the best side possible because it's a very important game".

"If I tell you how much playing time Amar'e will get, Hapoel's coach will know how we are planning to use him. Amar'e is essential for us because he gives us solutions inside the paint. We will see how much we will use him, as we'll try to teach him as much as possible in one practice".

"You can have a bad day, that can happen. The players are human, they aren't machines and even machines sometimes stop working", Explained Sfairopoulos about the loss in Munich. "We didn't score from outside, and in some parts of the game, we lost our confidence and couldn't keep the lead when we were up. We were down by 4 in the last couple of minutes, we tried to come back, but we couldn't do. It can happen".

"It's a derby. We aren't really focused on them, we are always trying to focus on how to prepare best for our game", Said Jake Cohen towards the contest. "The fact that they are in a bad momentum and they changed the coach is secondary for us. Our permanent concern is what we can do to get better to win the game".

"This game is important for our fans, club, so we are worried about the derby right now. Real Madrid will come afterward. First of all, winning on Sunday", Told Cohen. "My expectations are high from a player (Stoudemire) with his caliber, he has been around this game for a long time. Obviously, he will need to pick up the offense really quickly, there is a big challenge ahead of him, but I'm sure he will handle it in the best possible way".

Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv stay undefeated in Menorah Mivtachim Arena and in the Israeli league, beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 84:74 in the Tel Aviv derby gaining a three-point advantage from second place. 7 Maccabi players finished in double figures with Elijah Bryant, and Othello Hunter leading the way with 12 points. Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 11 points in his debut.

Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Deni Avdija, Quincy Acy, and Othello Hunter opened in Giannis Sfairopoulos's starting five. Hunter found Avidja, who laid it in for the first two Avdija of the game. Avdija continued to dominate early, scoring Maccabi's first 7 points for a 7:2 advantage. The hosts extended the lead to double digits with 6 straight points by Hunter, 19:8. Mark Lions and Latavious Williams decreased the score in the final minutes, 20:15 Maccabi, after 10 minutes.

Less than 2 minutes into the second quarter, Amar'e Stoudemire was called off the bench for his first minutes in the Yellow & Blue as he got a standing ovation from the home crowd. Bryant's 6 consecutive points led Maccabi to a double-digit advantage, 28:17. Jake Cohen found Stoudemire for his first two as he scored 7 points in the second quarter, 40:32. Tyler Dorsey completed a four-point play, as Tomer Ginat closed the first half with a bucket, 46:38 Maccabi.

With the start of the second half, it was Acy's turn to score six back-to-back points for Maccabi that included a highlight slam, 52:40. Wilbekin hit a three that gave the hosts a 15 point advantage. Maccabi's defense stopped Hapoel on 11 points in the third, going into the final quarter with a 65:49 lead.

Dorsey hit a couple of shots from deep, while Williams and Yam Madar reduced the lead down to 13. Stoudemire became the 7th Maccabi player in double figures with a slam as Madar, and Joaquin Szuchman minimized the final score, 84:74 for Maccabi over Hapoel in the Tel Aviv derby.