Naimi injured in Hap J’lem’s loss to Holon

Hapoel Jerusalem unable to cope without Yuval Naimi against Hapoel Holon.

By ALLON SINAI
HAPOEL HOLON’S Bryant Dunston 311 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
HAPOEL HOLON’S Bryant Dunston 311
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Hapoel Jerusalem lost for the first time in five BSL games on Sunday night, but far more importantly it may have lost Yuval Naimi to a knee injury during the 70-65 defeat at Hapoel Holon.
Naimi was helped off the court midway through the second quarter, grimacing painfully while clutching his knee.
Jerusalem couldn’t manage without him, closing to within two points late in the fourth period after trailing by as many as 13, only to fall to a disappointing defeat.
Bryant Dunston had 22 points and 14 rebounds for Holon, with D.J. Strawberry scoring 19 points for Jerusalem, which faces a crucial Eurocup game against BC Donetsk on Tuesday.
Hapoel Gilboa/Galil succeeded where Jerusalem failed on Sunday, winning its fifth straight league game with a 79-76 victory over Ironi Ashkelon in Gan Ner.
Ashkelon gave Gilboa a run for its money, but the hosts held their composure in the closing stages to move tied atop of the standings.
Romeo Travis had 23 points and eight rebounds for the winners, with Dwayne Mitchell scoring 23 for Ashkelon.
After beginning the season with six straight losses, Barak Netanya has now won two games in a row, beating Bnei Hasharon 102-93 on the road.
An 18-2 run put Netanya in a strong position midway through the second period (36-21) and the visitors held off Bnei Hasharon’s best efforts for an important win.
Brian Asbury and Adrian Banks scored 31 and 29 points, respectively, for Netanya, which shot an impressive 70 percent (33 of 47) from two-point range.
Delroy James had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Bnei Hasharon, which is now tied with Netanya and Maccabi Ashdod at the bottom of the standings with a 2-6 record.
Ashdod snapped a fivegame losing streak on Sunday, defeating BC Habika’a 88-74 on the road.
Josh Carter had 28 points for Ashdod, which outscored Habika’a 29-13 in the first period and never looked back.
Rashaun Freeman had 26 points for Habika’a.
Maccabi Tel Aviv visits Maccabi Rishon Lezion on Monday.