Hapoel defeats Be'er Sheva at the Arena!

On an emotional night at Pais Arena, Hapoel "Midtown" Jerusalem remained unbeaten after its second Israeli Winner League game of the season. Saša Obradovi?'s team defeated Hapoel "Altshuler Shaham" Be'er Sheva/Dimona 88-74 to improve to 2-0. Before tip-off, the club inaugurated the "Fallen Fans Stand" at its home arena, honoring Hapoel supporters who lost their lives in Israel's wars and acts of terrorism.

Scorers for Hapoel: David Roddy 16, Lorenzo Brown, Kenny Lofton Jr. and Dušan Mileti? 11 each, Yovel Zoosman 10, Shake Milton 9, Nimrod Levi and Ethan Burg 7 each, Roi Huber 4, Yotam Hanochi 2.

Scorers for Hapoel Be'er Sheva: Christian Coleman, Noam Avivi and M.J. Walker 11 each, Brian Cameron and Ofri Shitrit 10 each, Tyrique Smith 9, Golan Gutt 5, Shahar Doron 4, Matan Vogel 3.

The inauguration ceremony of the Fallen Fans Stand at Pais Arena

A 9-0 start by Hapoel in just over two minutes set the tone for the game that opened Round 2 of the 2026/27 season. Although the hosts surrendered a 13-point lead during the second quarter, they quickly regained control and pulled away in the second half, leaving their opponents unable to mount another comeback. A week after defeating Holon on the road by 23 points, Hapoel delivered another dominant performance in domestic competition, leading by as many as 22 points. David Roddy led five players in double figures with 16 points. Hapoel will face a significant test in the next round when it travels to face Hapoel Tel Aviv in a highly anticipated matchup.

Roddy and Brown. Hapoel improved to 2-0 in the league (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

A showdown with Hapoel Tel Aviv awaits the Reds in the next round (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

Game Recap

Hapoel opened with Brown, Burg, Zoosman, Roddy and Mileti?, while the visitors, dressed in white, started Cameron, Gutt, Walker, Coleman and Smith. The Reds came out firing, racing to a 9-0 lead in just over two minutes. Shake Milton then came off the bench and scored six consecutive points, helping Hapoel finish the opening quarter with a 22-10 advantage.

The lead grew to 13 early in the second quarter following a three-pointer by Levi, but the visitors refused to back down. Led by Shitrit, Avivi and Coleman, Be'er Sheva/Dimona erased the deficit and tied the game at 30-30 with three and a half minutes remaining before halftime. Lofton Jr. responded by leading a 12-4 run, sending the Reds into the locker room with the momentum back on their side. Hapoel led 42-34 at halftime.

The second half began with two runs. Hapoel struck first, scoring nine unanswered points behind Roddy and Brown to extend its lead to 17. Be'er Sheva/Dimona answered with a 10-0 run of its own, led by Cameron, to get back into contention. However, Levi and Huber sparked another Hapoel surge, allowing the Reds to close the third quarter with a commanding 64-48 lead.

The momentum never shifted in the final ten minutes, as Hapoel continued to extend its advantage, eventually leading by as many as 22 points. At the final buzzer, Hapoel secured an 88-74 victory over Be'er Sheva/Dimona.

Zoosman. The captain was one of five Hapoel players to score in double figures (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

Levi. Helped spark the decisive run late in the third quarter (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

Lofton Jr. Finished with 11 points this time (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

Brown also contributed 11 points to Hapoel's victory (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

Hapoel enjoyed a dominant performance in its first home league game of the season (Photo: Liron Moldovan)

A night that meant so much more than basketball (Photo: Liron Moldovan)