Hapoel Tel Aviv kept its Israeli league finals series against Maccabi Tel Aviv alive with a road win in Game 3, its first away victory in a finals series since 1987. After trailing 2-0, Hapoel reduced the deficit to 2-1 and will try to tie the series in Game 4 on Thursday at 8:50 p.m.
Yam Madar said the team stayed focused on itself after two losses. “Coming after two defeats is not easy. We showed a lot of character to come and close it out here,” he said. “We are down 2:1, we are coming to Game 4, we want to tie the series and get to Game 5.” He also said Hapoel is trying to ignore Maccabi and improve its own play, while hoping for a full arena and fan support.
Madar was not Hapoel’s main scorer, but he sparked the comeback with a key three-pointer after Maccabi had overturned Hapoel’s control in the fourth quarter. The game’s standout was Vasa Micić, who scored 29 points, hit seven three-pointers and added 10 assists. Madar praised him, saying, “I am really happy for Vasa, he was amazing and helped us win, it is fun to play with him.” John Wainwright also praised Micić, the team, and the fans, and said Hapoel’s late response showed belief.
Hapoel also drew praise for its defense, especially against Roman Sorkin, who did not score. Wainwright said the work on Sorkin was collective and predicted Sorkin would force shots in the fourth quarter. With Dan Oturu still unavailable, coach Dimitris Itoudis used Keandre Cook, who played only 11 minutes but delivered strong defense on Maccabi’s guards. Cook said he was surprised to be called in, called the opportunity “a chance in my career,” and said he is focused on doing the little things and playing his role. Itoudis may also bring back Chris Jones, who did not suit up in Game 3. Owner Ofer Yannai urged fans to buy the remaining 200 of the 1,000 tickets allocated for the game and show more support.