NNJ FallBall 2025 Playoff Semifinals Predictions

The intensity from the teams and atmosphere from the fans has been great so we’ll look to keep that going this week. Some of the top teams with high expectations have already been heartbroken early and there’s more disappointment waiting this week. Only one team can come out on top.

Haifa vs Al-Khalil

Matchup of the MVP finalists, Mahdy and Shahzaib. Taking into account absences, this is easily the hardest matchup Haifa has faced all year. It will be a matchup of two very different identities. Haifa is well spaced and elite from 3 all around while Al-Khalil is very physical and relentless on defense. Each team has an advantage and I think it will come down to which one has the bigger impact. Haifa has a deeper array of scoring options and if Shahzaib and Mahdy even out in scoring, Haifa’s secondary options are more reliable. Amir Charrkas and Raj have been big all year but Mo Rayyan is also scorching hot right now. For Al-Khalil, they have a lot more defensive flexibility which means while Shahzaib will likely have to guard Mahdy, Al-Khalil can stick Swish or Heemy on him. Over the course of the game, that will be a demanding task for Shahzaib and while he’s capable, it could be the difference in a close game.

Al-Khalil by 3

Bethlehem vs Rafah

A rematch of a great game in the last week of the regular season. Rafah looked really good last week with all their pieces present. They were missing players for big regular season matchups so this was definitely their most impressive win of the season. Zain and Anas Najib were too much to handle in the paint, especially with Nabil spacing the floor. However, they had that advantage against Bethlehem in the first matchup, too, and it wasn’t enough. Bethlehem is coming off an impressive win themselves, as they came back against a similarly difficult matchup down low vs Mana. All season they’ve been able to cover up their weaknesses by playing at the pace they want and taking advantage of their deep set of scoring options. Ultimately, if Bethlehem turns up the pace again, Rafah’s style of play may be too physically demanding and as long as Bethlehem fights on the defensive end, I think they’ll pull it off.

Bethlehem by 5

Edited by user Tuesday, February 10, 2026 9:43:52 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified