Hapoel Tel Aviv Falls to Balkan Botevgrad in Preseason Tune-Up

Hapoel Tel Aviv suffered a narrow 70-68 defeat to Balkan Botevgrad in their second preseason game, held in Bulgaria on Monday. The team, preparing for the 2026-27 season, had defeated the same opponent 101-76 just two days prior. Hapoel was without injured Tomer Ginat, and Oz Blayzer and Tai Odiase also did not play for various reasons. Coach Dimitris Itoudis made one change to the starting lineup from the previous game, with J'Covan Brown replacing Zach LeDay and joining Vasilije Micić, Elijah Bryant, Amir Coffey, and Dan Or-Toh. The team started poorly, falling behind by double digits in the first quarter. Reserves, led by LeDay and J'Covan Brown, along with Or-Toh, helped Hapoel close the gap in the second quarter. The second half was closely contested, with Or-Toh continuing to perform well. Antonio Blakeney took charge in the final quarter, but it wasn't enough to secure the win. Hapoel Tel Aviv will next travel to Belgrade to face Partizan Belgrade and FMP Belgrade. Before returning to Israel, the team will participate in a tournament with Bayern Munich, ASVEL, and Virtus Bologna.