Maccabi Tel Aviv beats Lyon-Villeurbanne as EuroLeague basketball returns to Israel

JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- EuroLeague basketball returned to Israel for the first time in more than two years on Thursday night, as Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Lyon-Villeurbanne 92-84 at home in the 15th round of the competition.

International sport in Israel was halted following the outbreak of the country's war with Hamas in October 2023, forcing Israeli teams to play their home games in neutral venues across Europe. Maccabi had been forced to host its EuroLeague home games in Belgrade. Last month, the EuroLeague decided to return games to Israel following the entry into force of the Gaza ceasefire.

Lonnie Walker scored a game-high 29 points along with nine rebounds, while Roman Sorkin contributed 26 points and seven rebounds for Maccabi. Glynn Watson scored 21 for Lyon-Villeurbanne, and Nando De Colo added 16.

The win moved Maccabi to a 5-10 record, while Lyon-Villeurbanne remains anchored in 20th, last place with just three wins from 15 games.

Maccabi will next play away against Dubai Basketball on Tuesday, while Lyon-Villeurbanne will host Bayern Munich the following evening. ■