Hapoel Tel Aviv vs Maccabi Tel Aviv Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Round 11

The Tel Aviv derby is played in Limassol, and Hapoel's deep, healthy backcourt faces a Maccabi defense allowing 94.0 points per game without its lead guard.

The Matchup

The Tel Aviv derby leaves Israel altogether on Thursday, with Maccabi hosting Hapoel at the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center in Limassol. It is the same fierce fixture in a borrowed building, and the two teams arrive in opposite shape: Hapoel sit 6-4 near the top of the table, while Maccabi have won twice in ten rounds and are still searching for a defense. The only question is whether derby emotion can close a gap that the season has made look wide.

Key Factors

Hapoel score 92.1 points per game behind the league's deepest guard rotation. Vasilije Micic averages 14.6 points and 4.6 assists, and he was the best player on the floor in Round 10, scoring 24 points with 7 assists against Barcelona. Elijah Bryant leads Hapoel at 14.8 points per game, and Antonio Blakeney adds 14.2 while shooting 43.1 percent from three.

Maccabi cannot guard any of it right now. They allow 94.0 points per game, one of the worst marks in the league, and they lost 88-67 at Partizan in Round 10. Maccabi are also without Gabriel Lundberg, who is out with a quadriceps injury and expected to miss six to eight weeks, leaving Jimmy Clark III, who leads Maccabi at 14.0 points per game, to carry the backcourt almost alone.

Micic is probable to play Thursday, and Hapoel's remaining absences sit at the fringe of the rotation. Hapoel already won this fixture once this month, beating Maccabi 105-87 in the domestic league on November 1 behind 31 points from Micic.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.