Hapoel Tel Aviv Hopes a Lineup Change Can Spark a Game 3 Rally

Hapoel Tel Aviv is down 2-0 in the playoff final series and is one loss away from finishing another season without a trophy, but it will try to stay alive on Sunday at 20:50 at Menora Hall against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Game 3. The club is hoping to repeat what it did in the 2021/22 quarterfinals against the same rival, when it won Game 3 after falling behind and forced a fourth game.

The team already held a long video session on Friday to review the mistakes from its Game 2 loss, and it trained again on Saturday morning. After practice, the players were released until Sunday morning, when the final roster for the game will be confirmed. Inside the club, the belief is that if Hapoel matches the aggression and intensity it showed in Thursday’s home game, it can win and bring the series back to life.

At the same time, the team knows it needs more contributors, not just two or three players as in the previous game. There is also a major roster decision to make. The coaching staff is leaning toward dressing center Daniel Oturu, who has been in Israel in recent days, though it has not yet been decided which of the two big men would make way. Club sources said, “There is risk in it, but Oturu has been here for several days.”

Another option under consideration is dressing guard Kyandre Cook to help defend Maccabi’s guards and wear them down. If Cook is included, it may come at the expense of Ish Wainright.