Euroleague losses leave Hapoel at 6-4 and Maccabi at 2-8
Both Israeli clubs suffered defeats in their latest European matches before facing each other twice in the coming days.
By Petra Murphy ·
Israeli basketball fans will spend the next few days watching their two main rivals collide, a schedule made more tense by recent defeats in the Euroleague. Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv both lost on the weekend, setting the stage for a Winner Cup final and a subsequent Euroleague game in Cyprus. The results leave both teams with little time to adjust before they meet again.
Hapoel Tel Aviv lost 93-90 to Barcelona in Sofia, Bulgaria. The result drops the Reds to a 6-4 record for the season. Coach Dimitrios Itoudis noted that his team held a 60-53 lead midway through the third quarter but gave up a 16-0 run to Barcelona. Dario Brizuela sparked the comeback, scoring 22 points, while Justin Robinson also added 22. Elijah Bryant led Hapoel with 25 points, and Vasilije Micic contributed 24.
Itoudis described the loss as a bad outcome, citing a hungrier opponent that forced Hapoel to allow 16 offensive rebounds. He stated that surrendering a nine-point lead so quickly was too much to overcome. Barcelona coach Aleksander Sekulic credited his team's defense for limiting Hapoel's best scorers, saying their defensive efforts led to offensive opportunities and made the opponent nervous.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fared worse in Serbia, losing 88-67 to Partizan Belgrade. This defeat drops Oded Katash's squad to a 2-8 record in Euroleague play. The loss marks the fourth consecutive defeat in the competition and the sixth straight across all competitions, leaving Maccabi in 18th place. The team struggled offensively, shooting just 21.7 percent from the perimeter with five made shots out of 23 attempts.
Partizan controlled the game, taking a 50-35 halftime lead and holding Maccabi to single-digit scoring in the final three quarters. Ethan Thompson led Partizan with 16 points, while Lamar Stevens added 14 and Antonio Reeves scored 13. For Maccabi, Daniel Theis led all scorers with 11 points, followed by Yam Madar with 10 and Jaylen Hoard with nine.
Partizan coach Joan Penarroya praised his team's solid defense and shared ball movement, noting that they did not rely on Carlik Jones to score 25 or 30 points. Katash struck a more apologetic tone, saying the team was struggling and playing without confidence. He apologized to the fans and stated they must change the situation quickly. Bonzie Colson emphasized the need for Maccabi to improve on both ends of the floor before the upcoming derby.
