Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Hapoel Holon 107-93 on Monday night at an empty Yad Eliyahu Arena, taking a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five Winner League semifinal the morning after Iranian missile salvos forced the Home Front Command to lock out the over 10,000 fans who would normally have filled the bowl. Roman Sorkin and Iffe Lundberg each scored 21 points, Tamir Blatt added 20, and the yellow-and-blue pulled away in the fourth quarter on a night when every sneaker squeak, every cough, and every sideline shout carried through the building.
The game was played in a country that had absorbed multiple Iranian missile salvos on Sunday night and into Monday, with both sides saying by Monday afternoon they would hold their fire even as the league pushed ahead with its playoff schedule. The Maccabi coaching staff “tried to convince some players to play right until the last minute,” head coach Oded Katash said, and afterward his point guard used the postgame microphone to deliver a public indictment of the league that had sanctioned the contest. “I really think that today was handled very, very poorly,” Iffe Lundberg said.
An Empty Arena, and a 107-93 Win
The Maccabi Tel Aviv semifinal opener at empty Yad Eliyahu tipped off under Home Front Command restrictions that cap indoor gatherings at 500 people, a rule that on a normal Maccabi night would have meant nothing to a club that draws crowds many times that size. On this night it meant a crowd of zero. The Maccabi players walked out for warmups to the sound of their own sneakers, their teammates’ voices, and the slap of a ball, the usual chorus of fans replaced by a building that heard everything.
Holon, coached by Predrag Runic, kept the contest within reach for three quarters, trailing 60-53 at halftime and 79-72 through 30 minutes, before Maccabi’s fourth-quarter run broke it open. Sorkin and Lundberg each finished with 21 points, Blatt added 20, and Jaylen Hoard posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, per the recap of Maccabi’s series-opening win. The yellow-and-blue hit the 100-point mark and closed out Game 1. This was not a normal night.
What the Empty Arena Sounded Like
Before any Maccabi Tel Aviv home game, dozens of fans wait at the players’ entrance to try to catch a glimpse of their heroes or take a selfie. On Monday there were no more than a few, the over 10,000 fans that had been expected forced to watch from their homes or from bars. As the players stepped onto the floor for pregame warmups, every sneaker squeak, every cough, and every word could be heard on the court with no one in the stands. The bench players, in the absence of a crowd, were the ones who cheered their teammates on and made noise to get the best out of one another on what reporters described as an eerie night.
Inside the game itself, the sound carried. You could hear the coaches cheering, screaming, and encouraging on the sidelines with unusual clarity, and every clang off the rim or swish through the net registered with authority. The referees checking the monitors and the off-court officials could be heard discussing a challenge or a play, conversations that a packed house would have swallowed in a roar, and the players, on both sides, kept pounding away at either end of the court.
Katash said afterward: “It was tough to manage the rotation but as a coach I am so proud of the players.” His team had chased home-court advantage all season, and on this night they got the win, and they got the silence.
The Players Used the Silence to Speak Up
The empty seats gave the postgame interviews a different kind of audience. With no fans to absorb the sound, the players’ words carried into microphones that, on a normal night, would have competed with the PA system and the music. Maccabi guard Lonnie Walker IV, returning this season from an injury layoff, had used his Instagram account on Sunday night to call the league’s decision to play “unsafe” and described a sleepless night, constant stress, and nonstop calls from his family. “We are not robots,” Walker wrote. “We are human beings dealing with fear, concern for our loved ones, and a reality that is affecting every aspect of our lives.”
The American guard’s statement that the call was unsafe drew agreement across rosters, with players on both of Monday’s scheduled finalists voicing concern. According to Sport5, two players on the other semifinalist, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Dan Oturu and Antonio Blakeney, were expected to leave Israel by plane the morning of the Maccabi-Holon tip. Hapoel Tel Aviv’s assistant coach, Stefanos Dedas, also reportedly attempted to leave the country, and was persuaded by the club to stay. Two other Hapoel Tel Aviv players, Chris Jones and Tai Odiase, were among the most vocal in expressing concern.
The names that left, the names that stayed, and the names that spoke into microphones drew a single picture: foreign players on Israeli rosters had spent a Sunday night listening to sirens and fielding calls from home, and on Monday afternoon many of them were still expected to play. Some on the Maccabi side had “contemplated leaving the country and advocated for the game to be moved,” the Jerusalem Post reported, but the decision was made to play before empty stands.
Lundberg, a Maccabi guard, used the postgame interview to direct his frustration at the league office.
This is a message to the Winner League Administration. I really think that today was handled very, very poorly. I think it was very unprofessional and disrespectful to every player who played to be honest. I understand that they’re an entity and their interest is branding the product of Israeli basketball. But at the end of the day, we’re human beings and I understand that we have to remain professional and we have to go out there and do our job which we did today, but that doesn’t neglect the fact that the last 24 hours have been really tough on everyone. They need to do better.
Lundberg spoke at Yad Eliyahu Arena after the Game 1 win, his team up 1-0 in the series. The Winner League Administration had not publicly responded by the time of the report.
How Maccabi Won the Night
The basketball itself, when play finally began, looked like a Maccabi home win in a building with no fans. Adama Sanogo and Netanel Artzi got busy early for Holon, while Sorkin and Lundberg answered for Maccabi. Blatt and John DiBartolomeo each hit from deep, and Lundberg added a third triple to give the hosts a 30-23 lead after 10 minutes.
The lead held steady at seven through the second quarter, as Blatt kept filling the basket, Zach Hankins and Hoard added inside points, and Dar’in Green Jr. drilled a trio of threes to keep the Purples within striking distance at halftime. Kevion Taylor opened the second half with a pair from deep, Lundberg answered right back, and Sorkin scored from downtown to keep Maccabi’s seven-point cushion intact. Hoard and Hankins each found the hoop, Sanogo threw down a dunk, and DiBartolomeo traded baskets with J’Von McCormick as the visitors closed within seven again at 79-72 through three quarters. Then the fourth opened, and Maccabi’s depth showed: Taylor scored first for Holon, Lundberg and Will Rayman answered from long distance, McCormick came back with points, and Blatt hit a deep triple that put the game out of reach as the yellow-and-blue crossed the 100-point mark and closed it out.
The top scorers from both teams tell the rest of the story.
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Sorkin | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 21 |
| Iffe Lundberg | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 21 |
| Dar’in Green Jr. | Hapoel Holon | 21 |
| Tamir Blatt | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 20 |
| Adama Sanogo | Hapoel Holon | 19 |
| Kevion Taylor | Hapoel Holon | 19 |
| Jaylen Hoard | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 16 |
Hours Earlier, a Semifinal Had Been Stopped
The Jerusalem semifinal suspended at 77-67 in the third quarter was the game the Maccabi-Holon series was, in a sense, the sequel to. On Sunday night, the Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Hapoel Jerusalem series opener was halted by the referees with the home side leading 77-67, the players sent to the locker rooms and the fans told to leave the arena after Iranian missile fire triggered Home Front Command guidance. Two American players on the Hapoel Tel Aviv roster had already left Israel by the time that game was stopped, the Times of Israel reported, and the rest of the league’s foreign contingent was being asked, in Katash’s words, to “convince some players to play right until the last minute.”
Israel and Iran traded salvos on Sunday night and into Monday, with Iran firing multiple missile barrages and Israel responding with strikes on Iranian military targets. Both sides said by Monday afternoon that they would hold their fire, the Times of Israel reported, even as the league had already locked in its Monday playoff schedule. The Maccabi arena’s 500-person indoor cap (with outdoor events capped at 200) was the rule that emptied the stands and turned the semifinal into a closed-doors affair. Under the same cap, the Hapoel Tel Aviv semifinal was ultimately awarded on a technicality after being halted by the air-raid siren, with no rescheduled tip yet announced.
The chain of events, a Sunday night missile barrage, a Sunday night semifinal stopped in the third quarter, a Monday afternoon mutual ceasefire, and a Monday night semifinal played in front of nobody, is the chain the league has been asked to manage. Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Yam Madar had closed the regular season with a 41-point derby performance, per an earlier match report on his Hapoel Tel Aviv form. His team’s series with Jerusalem is the next one the league must decide how to play.
The Series Stands at 1-0, and the Grievance Does Too
Maccabi leads 1-0 in the best-of-five semifinal, with Game 2 to be scheduled. The Winner League Administration has not publicly responded to Lundberg’s criticism as of the report, and the question of whether the next game in the series will also be played behind closed doors, moved to a different city, or played in front of fans again is one the league has not answered. The country absorbed missile fire, the league played the game, the players spoke, and the league office did not answer.
Katash called himself “proud” of his players. Lundberg called the league’s handling “very, very poor.” Both men spoke after the same game, in the same building, on the same night, and the basketball result was ordinary while the way it arrived, and the way the league handled the players it asked to play, was not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the Maccabi Tel Aviv arena empty on June 8, 2026?
Home Front Command restrictions in place after Iranian missile salvos on June 7 and into June 8 capped indoor gatherings at 500 people, a rule that made the usual 10,000-plus Maccabi crowd impossible. The Winner League played Game 1 of the Maccabi-Holon semifinal behind closed doors.
Did any players leave Israel because of the missile strikes?
Two Americans on the Hapoel Tel Aviv roster, Dan Oturu and Antonio Blakeney, were booked on flights out of Israel on Monday, per Sport5. The club’s assistant coach, Stefanos Dedas, also tried to leave, and was persuaded by the club to stay. Chris Jones and Tai Odiase, teammates of theirs, were among the most vocal in raising concerns.
What was the final score of the Maccabi-Holon semifinal opener?
Maccabi Tel Aviv took Game 1 by 14. Roman Sorkin and Iffe Lundberg led with 21 points apiece, with Tamir Blatt (20) and Jaylen Hoard (16 points, 10 rebounds) also in double figures. Dar’in Green Jr. scored 21 for Holon, and Adama Sanogo and Kevion Taylor each added 19.
What happened in the other Israeli semifinal on June 7?
Sunday’s Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Hapoel Jerusalem Game 1 was stopped in the third quarter at 77-67 in favor of Hapoel Tel Aviv. Iranian missile fire triggered the Home Front Command guidance that emptied the arena, and Hapoel Tel Aviv was later awarded the result on a technicality. The series has not been rescheduled.
When is Game 2 of the Maccabi-Holon series?
No date, venue, or fan policy for Game 2 of the Maccabi-Holon series has been announced. The Winner League Administration had not, by the time of the report, issued a public response to Iffe Lundberg’s criticism of how Game 1 was handled.
