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I thought about giving up but luckily I stayed, however, something was still missing. And then Ben Saraf took over the NBA.

By Moshe Halickman

Mar 17, 2026 | Holyland Hoops

Like everyone who watched the historic matchup between Portland’s Deni Avdija and Brooklyn’s Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, I was on edge. The tension came from the fact that while Avdija and Wolf were in the starting lineup, Saraf who had been questionable but was declared fit before the game, sat on the bench. When Nolan Traore, Brooklyn’s starting point guard, went to the bench, Saraf still didn’t come in. Then, at the start of the second quarter, Traore returned and the concern became very real: maybe Saraf, for whatever reason, wouldn’t play at all, something that would cast a shadow over what was supposed to be a celebration.

Some people had already gone to sleep. Honestly, with a late tip-off (1:30 a.m., really closer to 1:40) and how things were unfolding, I also thought it might be enough just to catch a bit of Avdija vs. Wolf. Maybe that was good enough. Saraf still hadn’t entered and Avdija and Wolf have had better games.


Criticism from back home started coming in. “Come on, Jordi (Fernandez), that’s too much,” I thought to myself and whether in those exact words or others, many felt the same.

But then, out of nowhere, Saraf checked in midway through the second quarter and I was glad I hadn’t given up. We know basketball, anything can happen and what more could we ask for than Avdija vs. Wolf in an official NBA game?


Saraf scored and played solid defense, but didn’t manage much beyond that. He turned the ball over and it wasn’t clear how much more we’d see him, if at all. It was strange, considering he came into the game in his best stretch yet in the NBA and after a performance where he clearly outplayed Traore. Still, we got the image we needed: Saraf and Avdija sharing the court in an NBA game.

The second half didn’t start particularly well. Avdija reached his usual numbers, while Saraf returned but struggled again, committing more turnovers. Portland’s lead ballooned to 31, 91–60 late in the third quarter. But Saraf sweetened things a bit with a great and-one play with 0.7 seconds left in the quarter, bringing his total to five points and cutting it to 91–65.


Then the real action began in the fourth quarter. Saraf delivered outstanding defense, racking up steal after steal and setting a personal NBA high with four. He added another and-one and dished a beautiful assist to Wolf for a three-pointer. He kept going, reaching 11 points with a brilliant drive that capped a 16–0 run, helping his team claw back into the game out of nowhere, 91–76.

At that moment, it was clear we were witnessing something historic for Israeli basketball. Avdija’s plays weren’t falling as much and you could see Saraf really trying to go at him and vice versa. Saraf broke his NBA career high with free throws that brought him to 13 points and then capped it off with a huge dunk to reach 15. Earlier, he also had a funny moment when one of his pink shoes came off while battling Avdija, he calmly put it back on and kept going.

The game ultimately ended in a 19-point loss, 114–95, but Saraf’s electric performance was enough to turn the event into his true NBA coming-out party. It also gave us great moments and photos with Avdija and the jersey exchange.


Bottom line: Saraf delivered a performance that should change the trajectory of his NBA career. He now has four straight games in double figures, averaging 11.75 points. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 assists. A legitimate and productive NBA player, no question.

During that fourth quarter, we saw what Saraf is truly capable of when he catches fire, things we’ve seen from him in youth national teams, the National League, the Israeli Premier League, the EuroCup, and the German league. Ben Saraf has arrived in the NBA and we were like dreamers, finally going to sleep only after 7am after a night of joyful work.


We watched Friday games in the Leumit League and we’ve followed Saraf’s wonderful story for years, now the real thing has arrived, with his best NBA game yet.

And he’s only 19, right? Blessed are we to have reached this moment.

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