Welcome back to another week of predictions. We are now at 306 days of an ongoing genocide in Palestine. Props to the country of Bangladesh in standing up to oppression and leading their country to the removal of a dictator. Prayers to all Muslims suffering around the world. May Allah give them ease after their hardship and allow this to be a means for them to enter Jannah. May Allah strengthen our hearts in Iman and keep us aware of all the injustice and give us the ability to change it.

Al-Bireh - Al-Balah:

For the first game of the week, both teams come off of a loss.  However, both teams were competitive in their matchups. I really like the addition of Hassan Farhat to the Al-Balah squad. It gives Hassan a running mate on offense and gives them size on defense. They now have a pretty solid lineup with Elias, Idris and Ahmad Saleh. Al-Bireh looked good at teams against undefeated Yaffa but they struggle to find a consistent flow offensively and seem to be looking for their own shots rather than setting others up. Overall, this game will still come down to whether they can limit Hassan on the offensive side of the floor, which will be Towfeek’s job. Jojo may have a solid game if Farhat guards him, but if Idris takes the duty, Jojo may struggle to find consistent production on the drive. Amir Hassan is important for the fluidity of Al-Birehs offense because he is their only shooter outside of Jojo. Nader needs to be involved more and they need to rebound better as a team, which will be easier this week against Al-Balah. If Al-Bireh looks sloppy though, Al-Balah has enough to take and hold a lead. Should be a good one.

Al-Bireh by 6

Ramallah - Al-Quds:

This is a nice matchup as both teams bring size to the table. I think Al-Quds has to put it all together to stay competitive in this one and they need more defensively from the other guys on the roster. Muhammad Saleh hasn’t been bad defensively but his limited offense and positioning makes it tough to start him. Zubair and Omar Hussein have to be better on defense for this team to be competitive against the better teams. Jay Mustafa-Mahrooz will be a great matchup and I wonder who will get the better of the other here. Crystal Ball predicts that matchup to be even. Zain will have to do a lot in the paint going up against Big Sal and Khalied, which will make his life difficult. Moayad is another x-factor for Al-Quds in stopping Anas Zubi and making him pay on the other end of the floor. Overall, Ramallah seems to be in a better place in terms of roles and depth, which is what makes this game easy to predict in my opinion.

Ramallah by 9

Qibya - Safad:

Qibya is a streaky squad that can’t seem to produce consistent outings. Raj has been shooting great, Farhad is still going strong, Aadil is growing as a playmaker, but some thing is off and I feel it’s the defense. Who will step up for this team and be the guy that reels the others in and makes them strong defensively. Safad has had all sorts of problems throughout the season and it has been a struggle for this team to gel offensively. Overall, I feel that the pieces don’t work well. Malik Zubi is a shoot first guy, and so is Omar. Islam and Fursan also like to attack and their ball movement tendencies are cut short by either Malik and Omar hoisting up a 3 that looks clean to them. Ameer and Deeb also need looks to be confident and will take some ill advised shots as they are not being set up in spaces they like for the most part. For this team to turn things around, multiple guys have to make sacrifices and play roles that they are not accustomed to. Otherwise, they will not produce enough to be competitive in most games. However, the lax defense of Qibya could help them figure some things out. Should be a fun one.

Qibya by 4

Nablus - Al-Wehdat:

Al-Wehdat has lost 2 in a row now since the trade and its partially due to attendance. This team will be competitive when all their players show up, but they don’t have 1 or 2 guys that can completely will their team to a win. Yamin made the trade to get more depth and they need all their pieces. Nablus is a team that needs just 2 guys to get a win, Ali Hassan and Omar Mana. Of course, Humza and Hamza are important to relieve pressure, but the best 1-2 punch in the league will be the beginning and end of this team’s story. Not many people can match up with Ali Hassan in this league, and favorable matchups can turn ugly fast as he is a player that just needs one or two shots to get hot. Raza will be the guy to try and stop him this game, but the screen and roll will be tough to stop as Al-Wehdat doesn’t really have a mobile big. Jake will need to be focused and ready to hedge and get back to Mana to battle with him for position. As mentioned, if Al-Wehdat can get production from many places, they should have no problem pulling the win out. It’s also easier said than done stopping either Mana or Ali and putting too much pressure on them could lead to a big game from Hamza or Humza.

Nablus by 3

Qalqilya - Yaffa:

Not much needs to be said about this matchup. Both teams are 6-0. Both teams have guys that can score, guys who hustle and defend, and overall chemistry. Both teams want to beat the other badly to retain the passion award. Ish vs Musa. Habi vs Shahzaib. Yahya vs Kareem. Omar vs Saif. Deep vs Elias. Yes there are ways to exploit matchups on either side, but which team will come with better execution. My job is to predict and thats what I’ll do.

Yaffa by 11

Khan Yunis - Bethlehem:

This is another amazing matchup, featuring two teams that really stepped it up after some trades. Looks like Shafic and Mahdy are starting to figure things out. Ali Sufian will need to continue to be ok with getting less shots but making them count as they need him to win his matchups. Similar situation with Ahmad. I like what the Bethlehem squad is doing but Khan Younis is now a well-oiled machine that has really stepped things up after adding Singer and Yazan. I think Bethlehem matches up well with Khan Younis except that they may be giving up some size. However, I don’t see anyone who can guard Mahdy on the Khan Younis side. I’m sure Singer will give it a try but he will need to keep the ball out of Mandy’s hands to stand a chance. This is a tough game to predict because Khan Younis relies on good shooting performances which do come often. If they don’t shoot well, Bethlehem has enough firepower to put them on their heels and make them rush their methodical offense. I can’t bet on them shooting poorly though.

Khan Younis by 5

As always, this ain’t Lavar Ball, this ain’t Lonzo Ball, this is the Crystal Ball.