Maccabi Tel Aviv dominates Hapoel 97-79 in thrilling derby victory

Maccabi Tel Aviv painted the city yellow and blue as it downed Hapoel 97-79 to claim the first basketball derby of the season in style before a sellout crowd at Yad Eliyahu.

Oded Katash’s squad controlled the pace of play from the outset as Jaylen Hoard punished his former team time and time again, while Rokas Jokubaitis helped secure a 47-42 halftime advantage. Marcus Bingham, Yam Madar, and Tomer Ginat tried to keep Dimitrios Itoudis’s team close, but Levi Randolph and Tamir Blatt made their presence felt in the second half, leading to the 18-point victory.

Hoard led all scorers with 26 points, Jokubaitis added 18 points, and Randolph and Roman Sorkin each scored 11 points in the win. Madar scored 16 points, Bingham added 15 points, and Ginat contributed 11 points in the loss.

Maccabi hosted Hapoel in the Tel Aviv derby to determine basketball supremacy across Israel, as arguably the two best teams in the nation faced off. The Euroleague squad matched up against the EuroCup side in an all-out battle.

The stage was set: Reds owner Ofer Yannay’s star-studded squad faced the back-to-back Israeli league champions. On one sideline stood two-time Euroleague Championship-winning head coach Itoudis, and on the other, former Israeli star Katash.

For sports fans, it doesn’t get better than this!

Hours before game time, fans from both teams milled around the arena, eating, talking, singing, and dancing as they waited to welcome their heroes to the floor.

When Yannay was spotted, it was as if a king had descended to greet his subjects. TV cameras surrounded him, capturing the Reds owner’s nodding, smiling, and grinning – all signs that a victory was in the air. Yannay has invested millions of shekels into the club to produce a winner and pave the way to Euroleague participation, but he is discovering it’s no easy feat.

The Hapoel team bus arrived at Gate 9, dropping off players who appeared ready for battle. Some wore earphones, others didn’t, but all carried the expressions of warriors prepared to execute their coach’s game plan.

Itoudis, coaching his first Derby, was unveiled in a festive press conference just weeks ago. His fingerprints were already visible on Hapoel’s style of play. The team entered the derby after a dominant win over Joventut Badalona in EuroCup play, following a narrow loss to Ulm in Itoudis’s debut. One challenge for the new coach has been reintegrating star center Jonathan Motley, who temporarily left the team seeking a new contract. Yannay fought to retain Motley, and the center returned to the squad under his existing contract.

Electricity in the air

As fans filed into the arena, the energy was electric. Both camps cheered and sang at full volume. When the players emerged for pregame warmups, the atmosphere intensified further. For the players, this was their first opportunity to play in front of such a large crowd, as Maccabi’s Euroleague home games have been held in Belgrade due to the war that began on October 7, 2023.

Both teams started strong, with Patrick Beverley and Marcus Foster scoring early for Hapoel Tel Aviv, while Jokubaitis was unstoppable for Maccabi. The Reds held a narrow 19-18 lead midway through the first quarter. John DiBartolomeo hit a pair of three-pointers, Hoard added points, and Marcus Foster nailed a triple, but a putback from Marial Shayok gave Maccabi a 31-26 lead after ten minutes.

Itoudis’s squad rallied in the second quarter, with Timor, Bingham, and Madar scoring key points. However, after a quick timeout, Katash’s crew responded with dunks from Wenyen Gabriel and Hoard, and baskets from Randolph. Hoard continued to dominate, scoring 12 consecutive points, extending Maccabi’s lead to double digits. Ish Wainright and Bingham pulled Hapoel back within five points, 47-42, at halftime.

Maccabi entered the game amid concerns, having been swept in a Euroleague double week by Paris and Barcelona. To make matters worse, the team learned on the morning of the Derby that Cuban center Jasiel Rivero would miss 4-6 weeks due to a hamstring tear. This absence raised doubts about Maccabi’s chances, but Gabriel stepped up defensively, causing problems for Hapoel’s big men while opening opportunities for Hoard on offense.

Hoard picked up where he left off in the second half. While Bingham kept pace for Hapoel, Randolph, Blatt, and Jokubaitis added key points, giving Maccabi a 65-55 lead after three quarters. The most concerning moment came when Beverley limped off with a thigh injury and was sent for an MRI.

In the fourth quarter, Madar and Sorkin traded baskets. Ginat scored five straight points to keep Hapoel in the game, but Randolph, Sorkin, Blatt, Shayok, and Jokubaitis sealed the win for Maccabi.

Maccabi chairman Shimon Mizrachi, now 85, has overseen countless Derbies in his 55-year reign, leading the club to six European championships. After last season’s league title, Mizrachi celebrated by declaring Hapoel hadn’t won a championship in 55 years – and would have to wait another 55.

While Maccabi didn’t win a championship that night, it sent a clear message to Hapoel: despite assembling a team of stars, the Reds still have work to do to dethrone the champs. Regardless of the result, the biggest winners were the players, the teams, and, most importantly, the fans.