Renovation Update: Hapoel Wins at the Drive-In!

Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv faced off on Sunday evening, with both teams looking to capitalize on Maccabi Tel Aviv's slip-up and gain an early advantage in the league standings. It was Hapoel Jerusalem who came out on top, securing an impressive 70-60 victory at the Shlomo Group Arena.

The Reds led for most of the contest, and although the game was played at a slow pace and remained close throughout, Hapoel won three of the four quarters before pulling away to a double-digit lead in the closing minutes. Saša Obradovi?'s squad improved to 3-0 and moved to the top of the league standings. The Reds will now look to maintain their perfect record in the EuroCup when they travel to France to face Le Mans on Wednesday.

Scorers for Hapoel: Shake Milton 16, Jaleen Smith and Kenny Lofton Jr. 13 each, David Roddy 7, Yovel Zoosman 6, Devontae Cacok 6, Gaby Chachashvili 4, Roi Huber 3, Nimrod Levi 2. Also played: Ethan Burg.

Hapoel delivered a defensive masterclass reminiscent of the Aleksandar D?iki? era, holding Tel Aviv's star-studded roster to 14 points or fewer in three of the four quarters, including a decisive 19-13 fourth quarter.

Milton led the scoring and finished just two rebounds shy of a double-double. Lofton Jr. dominated inside, converting 6 of his 10 two-point attempts, while Smith knocked down three three-pointers at 50% shooting, accounting for half of Hapoel's total makes from beyond the arc.

Neither team was particularly efficient from the field, but the visitors completely controlled the boards, outrebounding Tel Aviv 45-25, including a commanding 19-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Hapoel turned that dominance into twice as many second-chance points (8-4).

A knockout in the stands, too (Photos: Oded Karni)

Saša and Itoudis shake hands before tip-off (Photo: Oded Karni)

Game Recap

Hapoel started with Burg, Smith, Roddy, Lofton Jr. and Chachashvili, while Tel Aviv opened with German, Bryant, Wainright, Ginat and Oturu.

The Reds got off to the better start, taking an early 6-2 lead. Although the hosts responded with six unanswered points to move ahead, Hapoel quickly regained the advantage and closed a low-scoring first quarter with a narrow 16-14 lead.

Obradovi?'s squad extended its advantage to eight points in the second quarter, but Tel Aviv fought back and cut the deficit to just one. Hapoel then responded with six unanswered points to head into the locker room leading 34-27 at halftime.

Lofton Jr. Led the way alongside Milton in the first half (Photo: Oded Karni)

After the break, Tel Aviv once again closed the gap to a single point. The visitors answered with an 11-2 run to establish their first double-digit lead of the game, but Itoudis' team responded with a 9-2 run of its own, cutting Hapoel's advantage to 51-47 heading into the final ten minutes.

The hosts completed a comeback early in the fourth quarter with a 9-1 run, but Hapoel responded in emphatic fashion. A decisive 16-3 run opened up a nine-point lead with less than two and a half minutes remaining, before a basket from Milton sealed an impressive 70-60 victory.

Milton. Hapoel's leading scorer (Photo: Oded Karni)

Smith. Another strong performance from the guard (Photo: Oded Karni)

Lofton Jr. and Milton fired up. Both delivered outstanding performances (Photo: Oded Karni)

Hapoel players celebrate with the fans who traveled to the Drive-In Arena (Photos: Oded Karni)