Welcome to the week 9 predictions. As always, we begin by remembering the situation of our brothers and sisters around the world. We are approaching a year of genocidal actions and rhetoric against our brothers and sisters in Palestine. Many may become complacent with this reality but as time goes on, our hearts should hurt more as the destruction of civilization in Gaza continues. Please continue to make dua, please continue to gain awareness and please continue to spread awareness. We must be ready to fight for our brothers and sisters in any way we can.

Let's get into the predictions for this week.

Qibya - Yaffa:

There are officially no more unbeaten teams after the thriller that put an end to Yaffa's win streak. Yaffa was without Elias and still showed their prowess, which is a positive sign this late into the season. Qibya also lost by 1 point last week, and they had a solid hold of the game up until late. This matchup is one of the top teams in the league against one of the bottom, record-wise. However, as mentioned previously, this season is extremely close from top to bottom and there is not much separating teams on paper. I think this game comes down to who will be more disciplined and play better as a team. Farhad and Musa can both score at will, Aadil and Elias are both secondary scorers and playmakers in their own right. Both teams have guards that work hard and deep squads. Chemistry is the biggest key to this one and I think Yaffa is much further along in that category.

Yaffa by 12

Bethlehem - Safad:

Bethlehem sort of scraped by last week, which was a bit unexpected. Don't underestimate the teams that don't have great records though. Either way, they got the win they needed and now have a solid 3 game win streak. They'll be looking to end the season strong with 2 more wins. Safad is on a winning streak of their own and have taken advantage of two short handed squads in those wins. This time around, they have to deal with Mahdy and Shafic, which is a tough ask if either one gets going. I'm sure they will have a solid defensive scheme, but I think Bethlehem will punish them on the break as Safad can be a trigger happy squad. Safad can keep this one close if they maintain a slow, methodical, pass-heavy offense and slow the game down. Then again, Omar favors catching the defense off-guard and striking quickly so it will be interesting to see how this one goes. The matchups are pretty solid on both sides, but I have to go with the more proven squad here.

Bethlehem by 10

Khan Yunis - Nablus:

Khan Yunis now have two bad losses in a row, which is a bit of a surprise. Last week, they get a bit of a break as they were missing a few key pieces, but they will look to get back on the right side of things this week. Nablus has also had two tough losses and they were two games that they really felt they could've won. Both these teams are hungry for a win which will make this game exciting, if everyone shows up. As always, Nablus will need great games from their two stars, Ali and Mana. In this game, they will also have to contain a lot of perimeter threats on the Khan Yunis side, which tips the scales in Khan Yunis' favor in my opinion. However, If the Humza/Hamza combo can have a solid impact on the game on both ends, Nablus is in prime position to steal this one. It hasn't really happened yet, so I can't take the odds there. Also, look out for this Mana - Yazan matchup. Will this be the week Mana has under 10 boards?

Khan Yunis by 7

Al-Wehdat - Al-Quds:

I can't say I dislike what Al-Wehdat has but I definitely don't agree with their availablity. This team needs to show up literally before we can begin to predict what they may or may not do on the court. On paper, they definitely have a strong roster, but they need games played together to find roles for everyone and see what works best for everyone on the court. Al - Quds got a BIG win last week with Zain and Mahrooz leading the way. Same old questions for Al-Quds though, how do they get the 4 of these guys to really make each other better and make the game easier for eachother. Sometimes, there never is a way, but I won't close the book on them yet. It could take a game against a team without a full lineup for them to do so. If Al-Wehdat has a full squad, Jake will have to guard Zain which could be a tough ask of him. Zain should really use his quickness and shooting more and play outside in, allowing Mahrooz and Moayad to attack the paint. Raza will have to guard Mahrooz and we may see permanent sub Chris take on the Mahrooz matchup, which could be a fun one. I think Al-Quds has another level they can reach, and it may come this week.

Al-Quds by 9

Qalqilya - Al-Bireh:

This is my vote for game of the week. Al-Bireh should have some confidence after the inflated stat lines we saw last week. I'm not sure if things changed, but it seemed to be that way. This team does amazing on soft defense as they can simply drive and kick to open shooters who can get hot. They have yet to fare well against more stifling defenses which shows a lack of creativity in their offense. They must focus on being less predictable as they go up against a formidable opponent that matches up very well with them. In my opinion, Ish and Shahzaib are the best two players on the court in this game, which says a lot about my prediction. It will be really fun to see Khaled and Omar match up and I'm sure the trash talking is well under way. we'll see if Al-Bireh can take the next step and bode well against stiff competition.

Qalqilya by 5

Ramallah - Al-Balah:

Final game of the week. The theme for this week, is bottom of the league vs the top. I will continue to reiterate, record is not much of a factor and any team can lose on any given week. Al-Balah was a one man band last week, and they should've taken advantage against Qalqilya who was missing a few guys. For Al-Balah to succeed, they need considerable contributions from others on the team. Elias, Idris, Hassan F, and Ishaq are all capable of giving solid outputs but the play style definitely needs to favor a team-oriented style as well. Ramallah definitely has that team play and they needed every bit of it last week. Big games all around and timely buckets allowed them to knock off the undefeated. They will look to continue their winning streak and do so through their two savvy guards and their two veteran bigs. Although Al-Balah will be hungry, I just don't see how they contain the two bigs and the two guards of Ramallah for the entire game. Jay Mustafa and Hassan matchup should be really fun to watch and will be the highlight of this one in my opinion. Should be a good game.

Ramllah by 7

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