Vasilije Micic delivers a dominant first half as Hapoel Tel Aviv takes control

Vasilije Micic produced a huge first half on Sunday night for Hapoel Tel Aviv against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Game 2 of the playoff final, helping his team reach halftime ahead 43-36. Hapoel entered the game down 2-0 in the series and one loss away from ending its season, so the Serbian veteran guard responded after a poor showing in the previous game.

Micic had been held to 0 points on 0-for-4 shooting with 5 turnovers in the first half of Thursday’s loss, and finished that game with 7 points and a season-worst 8 turnovers. This time, he flipped the script completely, scoring 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three, while also adding 3 rebounds and 7 assists without a single turnover.

Across the regular season, Micic averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 assists per game. In the playoffs he stepped up further, entering Sunday averaging 16.4 points and 4.7 assists over seven games. His season-high performance index in Israel is 24, and he finished the first half with a 17 rating. The article noted that social media praised the guard after his strong display.