Hapoel Jerusalem Edges Burgos in High-Emotion EuroCup Clash
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Hapoel Jerusalem narrowly defeated Burgos 85-84 in a high-emotion EuroCup game on Wednesday, overcoming a double-digit deficit twice. Coach Sasha Obradovic praised the opponent's strength while highlighting defensive lapses, particularly on offensive rebounds. Player Kenny Lofton scored 28 points, and the team looks to improve on weaknesses before their next games in the Israeli league and EuroCup.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Burgos 85-84 in a close EuroCup contest.
- The Israeli team lost a double-digit lead twice during the game.
- Coach Sasha Obradovic acknowledged the difficulty of playing Burgos away.
- Kenny Lofton led Jerusalem with 28 points.
- The team struggled with defensive rebounding, allowing multiple offensive boards late in the game.
- Hapoel Jerusalem will next play Hapoel Beer Sheva and Riga.
Hapoel Jerusalem secured an 85-84 victory over Burgos on Wednesday, despite squandering a double-digit lead twice during the game. The Israeli team led 30-44 in the second quarter and 59-70 in the fourth, but found themselves trailing in the final minute before crucial baskets from Shayk Milton and David Rudin sealed the win.
Jerusalem's coach, Sasha Obradovic, acknowledged the difficulty of playing Burgos away, noting their strength and coaching. "Everyone knows how hard it is to play against Burgos away," Obradovic stated, adding that even EuroLeague teams struggle there. He praised Burgos as a well-coached team with good ideas, warning that they are dangerous when they return to their strengths.
The team expressed satisfaction with Kenny Lofton's performance, who scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, and supported Lorenzo Brown, who despite a scoreless shooting night, dished out five assists. Hapoel Jerusalem dominated the offensive boards, grabbing 17 compared to Burgos's 5, but this area also proved to be a point of concern. With 42 seconds left, after Seko Doumbia missed a three-pointer, Burgos secured three consecutive offensive rebounds. Obradovic highlighted this as a near-fatal flaw, stating, "We could have lost the game because of the box out, even though we did a good job for most of the game. Their offensive rebound could have killed us."
Looking ahead, Hapoel Jerusalem is set to face Hapoel Beer Sheva in the Israeli league and Riga in the upcoming EuroCup game. Kenny Lofton commented on the team's resilience, "We stayed together. The second half wasn't great, but we fought, we fought through everything. I'm happy we won. I'm satisfied with the result. We will go back and work on the weak points."
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