Hapoel Tel Aviv stayed alive in the Israeli playoff final on Sunday night, beating city rival Maccabi Tel Aviv on the road to cut the series to 2-1 and force a fourth game. Dimitris Itoudis’s team knew defeat would end its season and give Maccabi its 58th championship, but the Reds came out sharp on both ends and kept their first title hope since 1969 alive.
Vasilije Micic, who had not been at his best in the first two games, delivered a huge performance with 29 points and 10 assists. He took over in the second quarter, helped Hapoel build a double-digit lead, and later hit a decisive clutch three-pointer that pushed the margin to 69-76 and effectively sealed the win. Tai Odiase and Ish Wainright scored 12 each, while Yam Madar and Tomer Ginat added 11 apiece.
Maccabi fought back repeatedly. Jimmy Clark scored 24 points with 7 assists and sparked a late fourth-quarter surge that briefly gave the hosts a 59-63 lead, while Iffe Lundberg added 15, Jaylen Hoard 12, and Oshae Brissett 10 points and 12 rebounds. Roman Sorkin had a particularly poor night and finished scoreless, a major blow for the yellow team.
Hapoel led 20-25 after the first quarter and 36-43 at halftime, before Maccabi trimmed the gap to 55-56 entering the final period. Game 4 will be played on Tuesday at 20:50, and Hapoel will try to become the first team ever to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a finals series.
