Maccabi Tel Aviv opened the Israeli Basketball Premier League playoff final with a 96-75 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, taking a 1-0 series lead. The club said it was pleased above all with the energy, body language, fighting spirit and commitment shown throughout the game, and identified defense as a key factor behind the result.
Maccabi outrebounded Hapoel 37-31, which helped generate extra possessions and a 66% success rate from inside the paint. The yellow-and-blue also scored 24 second-chance points compared with Hapoel’s 7, forced 19 turnovers, committed only 9 themselves, and converted those mistakes into 30 points. Head coach Oded Katash said, “I’m very happy with the win and proud of the way we played,” adding that the team wants to finish the season with “the double” and a title, but must be more precise because the short roster is a disadvantage. He said Hapoel would make adjustments.
Maccabi led from the fourth minute and never gave it up. Captain John DiBartolomeo said the team needed the start for confidence after losing three straight games to Hapoel, and stressed that Game 2 will require more adjustments. The team also credited the home crowd at the arena, saying the fans could be felt “every moment” and helped preserve momentum.
Jalen Hord led Maccabi with 20 points and 4 rebounds, including 18 points in the first half. Oshay Brissett scored 16 points with 7 rebounds, Jimmy Clark and DiBartolomeo had 15 points each, Roman Sorkin added 14, and Iffe Lundberg finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds. Clark briefly left for treatment after a muscle cramp late in the game, but returned to the bench within two minutes and was said to be fine.
A fan in the Hapoel section shouted at Clark, was ejected after continuing to curse at him, and Hord told him to “sit down,” while Brissett also told him not to interfere. Maccabi said Hord did not confront the fan and that the officials reviewed the incident before play continued normally. Game 2 is set for Thursday, with Maccabi aiming to move closer to a 2-0 lead.
