Maccabi Tel Aviv to play Knicks, Clippers

Maccabi Tel Aviv will hit both U.S. coasts for exhibition games against NBA teams.

The team announced Wednesday that it will play the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers in October.

Both games will benefit the Migdal Ohr organization, which provides shelter and education for thousands of abused, impoverished and orphaned children in Israel.

Maccabi returns to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 18 to meet the Knicks. In 2007, a crowd of 18,000, mostly Maccabi fans chanting the team's name, saw the Knicks defeat Maccabi, 112-85.

Two days later, the Israeli squad will play the Clippers at the Staples Center.

Tel Aviv has five victories in 18 games against NBA teams, according to the Jerusalem Post. Its 105-103 win over the Toronto Raptors in 2005 marked the first time an international team defeated an NBA squad on North American soil.