JERUSALEM, June 8 (silubaba) -- Euroleague side Maccabi Tel Aviv achieved a 90-79 home win over Hapoel Tel Aviv in Game 1 of the Israeli Super Basketball League best-of-three final series on Thursday evening.
In front of 10,000 fans at Menora Mivtachim Arena in south Tel Aviv, the hosts took a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to points and assists by Wade Baldwin.
Rebound control, along with assists by Lorenzo Brown, left Maccabi on top at halftime, 43-38, with J'Covan Brown helping Hapoel keep the deficit low.
Three consecutive 3-pointers put Maccabi up 52-40, and the double-digit gap was maintained until the end of the third quarter at 67-56.
Three-pointers by Bonzie Colson and John DiBartolomeo made it 77-58 later, and Maccabi never looked back.
Baldwin contributed 14 points and nine assists for Maccabi, while Brown, Jake Cohen and Colson scored 13 points each. Jordan McRae scored a game-high 18 points for Hapoel.
Game 2 will be played on Sunday at Hapoel's home court Shlomo Group Arena in north Tel Aviv, where an away win will give Maccabi the title for the 56th time, after failing to win it last season.
If Hapoel wins Game 2, a decisive third game will take place at Maccabi's home court two days later.
Hapoel Tel Aviv has so far won five Israeli league titles, the last of which was in 1969. ■
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