Hapoel Tel Aviv eyes Euroleague playoffs while Maccabi prays for spot

Tel Aviv — Hapoel Tel Aviv’s 95-80 dismissal of defending champion Fenerbahce on Tuesday night lifted the Reds to 22-13 and fourth place in the Euroleague standings, leaving them on the cusp of a postseason berth and within striking distance of home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Coach Dimitrios Itoudis’s roster punished the Turkish giants from the opening tip, using a balanced offensive barrage to build a 51-38 halftime cushion. Elijah Bryant, Dan Oturu, Antonio Blakeney and Vasilije Micic combined for fluid ball movement and aggressive close-outs, holding high-scoring guard Talen Horton-Tucker scoreless over the first 20 minutes.

Fenerbahce’s Wade Baldwin kept the contest respectable with 17 first-half points, but Hapoel’s defensive adjustments limited him to five after the break. Oturu finished with 23 points to earn game-MVP honors, Bryant added 21 and Micic chipped in 19. Baldwin ended with 22 in the loss.

Itoudis praised his squad’s focus against the reigning title-holders. “We were the better team from start to finish,” he said. “We stuck to the plan and the players executed brilliantly.”

Oturu echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of striking first in a pivotal double-week. “We knew we had to punch first and match their energy,” he noted. “I think we did that well.”

While the Reds surge, cross-town rival Maccabi Tel Aviv faces an uphill fight to extend its Euroleague season. Oded Katash’s side dropped a 101-98 decision at Baskonia, slipping to 18-17 and 12th place in the table. The defeat leaves Maccabi one game behind Dubai (19-17) and 1½ games adrift of Monaco (19-16), which currently occupies the final play-in position.

Maccabi appeared in control at intermission, leading 53-44 behind hot perimeter shooting from Lonnie Walker and Jimmy Clark plus interior production from Roman Sorkin. The script flipped in the third quarter when Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Trent Forrest spearheaded a 40-19 Baskonia burst that proved decisive.

Clark paced Maccabi with 26 points, Walker added 23 and Sorkin contributed 22. Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 21 and Forrest had 19 for the hosts.

Katash lamented his team’s body language during the collapse. “We were not together,” he admitted. “Very tough, a bad loss for us.”

Forward Will Rayman insisted the door to the play-in tournament remains ajar. “We have the tiebreaker over teams close to us,” he said. “If we win the remaining games, we have a chance.”

Maccabi’s next opportunity arrives Thursday night in Paris, where every possession will carry postseason implications. For Hapoel, the equation is simpler: keep winning, secure a top-four seed, and dream of a deep spring run.