Hapoel Tel Aviv lost Barcelona 93-90 in Sofia on Thursday. This second EuroLeague defeat drops coach Dimitris Itoudis’s squad to a 4:6 record and moves them out of the top six.
Barcelona outlasted Hapoel Tel Aviv in a game was a dramatic seesaw affair. Hapoel nearly completed a comeback in the final seconds. Elijah Bryant and Vasilije Micić delivered strong individual performances. However, the team struggled from the perimeter. They converted only 7 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc.
Barcelona Overcomes Hapoel Momentum
Vasilije Micić, Elijah Bryant, Amir Kopi, Zach LeDay, and Dan Oturu formed the Hapoel starting five. Their strong defense built an early 16:6 lead. Micić played with the same form seen in the recent derby victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv. Barcelona responded through Justin Robinson. The visitors closed the first quarter with a 21:19 advantage.
The lead changed hands eight times during the second quarter. The teams remained closely matched through the period. They entered the halftime break tied at 46:46. Robinson and Micić drove their respective sides in the first half. Robinson recorded 15 points. Micić finished with 13.
Hapoel Tel Aviv surged with a 12:3 run in the third quarter to take a lead. Barcelona immediately answered with a 21:2 run. Dario Brizuela scored 12 points in a five-minute span. This scoring burst allowed Barcelona to lead 73:63 heading into the final period.
Brizuela Seals Late Victory
Barcelona extended their lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter. Bryant and Micić fueled a late rally. The duo combined for five consecutive points to narrow the gap to a single point.
Robinson scored a large basket with 39.3 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 91:85. Bryant hit two free throws to make it 91:90 with 28.8 seconds left. Hapoel opted to gamble on defense. Brizuela drove for a score with six seconds remaining to secure the win for the Catalans. Micić missed a three-pointer at the rim that would have forced overtime.
Bryant led Hapoel Tel Aviv with 25 points. He was perfect from the line, going 12-for-12. Micić added 24 points and 7 assists. Dan Oturu contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals.
Brizuela led Barcelona with 22 points. Robinson added 20 points and 6 assists. Josh Nebo recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Tamir Blatt joined the EuroLeague roster for the first time but did not play. Tomas Sturnskis missed the game following a suspected concussion.
Hapoel Tel Aviv plays a derby against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Monday in the Winner Cup final. They face the same opponent next Thursday in Limassol, Cyprus.
