Hapoel Tel Aviv's European Winning Streak Halted by Valencia

Hapoel Tel Aviv's winning streak in the European EuroLeague was broken on Thursday when they lost to a perfect Valencia team. Playing in Valencia's Roig Arena, Hapoel Tel Aviv, wearing black armbands in memory of those killed in the October 7th massacre, aimed to replicate their success from the previous season against the same opponent. Two years prior, on April 2nd, 2025, Hapoel Tel Aviv secured a dramatic victory led by Antonio Blakney in a decisive third game against Valencia in the EuroCup semifinals, which propelled them to their first-ever European final and ultimately a title, earning them a spot in the prestigious EuroLeague. Despite falling behind significantly in the first quarter, Hapoel Tel Aviv managed to erase most of the deficit, coming within two points of tying the score at the start of the third quarter, largely due to Blakney's exceptional performance. However, apart from Blakney, who finished with a game-high 30 points and set personal records for points and three-pointers in the competition, no other Hapoel player managed to step up. Valencia ultimately won the game 93-82, maintaining their perfect record in the EuroLeague with four wins out of four games. Hapoel Tel Aviv now holds a 2-2 record and faces difficult upcoming games, including a matchup against their fierce city rivals, Maccabi Tel Aviv.