Portland and Brooklyn made NBA history on Monday night when three Israeli players—Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Nets rookies Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf—shared the court in the same game for the first time, the New York Post reported.
Nets coach Jordi Fernández called the occasion “special,” saying the matchup underscored the significance of countries outside the United States and Europe gaining representation in the league.
“I don’t know Deni, but I’m sure he’s excited to play. I know Ben and Danny are,” Fernández said. “Obviously, Deni, a career year and how much better he has gotten. And then our two young guys, they’re getting better. And I want to see this matchup over the years and how interesting, how cool it is to see them play against each other.”
Portland defeated Brooklyn, 114–95. Avdija finished with 18 points, five assists and six rebounds in 34 minutes. Saraf recorded 15 points and four assists in 24 minutes, while Wolf added eight points, five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes for Brooklyn.