Israelis make history in NBA

BASKETBALLERS Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel made history last week, when they became the first ever Israeli pair to face off in an NBA game when Casspi’s Houston Rockets took on Mekel’s Dallas Mavericks.

For the record it was the Rockets over the Mavs in a comfortable 113- 105 win.

After mediocre performances in their opening games of the NBA season, small forward Casspi and point guard Mekel each made significant contributions.

Casspi entered the game after just one minute following Turkish player Omer Asik’s two quick fouls. He hit two consecutive three-pointers to lead the hosts to an early lead, before going on to record 12 points for the match.

“It is a real honour for Israeli basketball that two of its players are facing each other in the NBA,” Casspi said.

“We are playing plenty of minutes and I’m glad that things went well for us today.”

Mekel also took to the floor in the first quarter, with Dallas trailing by 10 points and immediately hit a jumper. But despite his strong showing – 11 points and six assists – the Mavs never really threatened to complete a comeback.

“It’s a big thing, I think, for such a small country to have two [NBA] players. It’s something unique,” Mekel added.

“I saw the excitement when Omri came into the league, and I’m really looking forward to experiencing that, so hopefully we’ll bring pride.”

AJN STAFF

WITH AGENCIES

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