Barcelona and Partizan Defeat Israeli Rivals in Euroleague
Hapoel Tel Aviv lost a 93-90 game in Sofia, while Maccabi Tel Aviv fell 88-67 in Belgrade, setting up two derbies this week.
By Yara Nasser ·
Barcelona beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 93-90 on Sunday in Sofia, Bulgaria, ending the Israeli side's bid for a win and dropping their Euroleague record to 6-4. In the same round of games, Partizan Belgrade crushed Maccabi Tel Aviv 88-67 in Serbia, extending Maccabi's losing streak in the competition to four straight losses and their overall losing streak to six.
Hapoel led 60-53 midway through the third quarter. A 16-0 run by Barcelona, fueled by Dario Brizuela, erased the deficit and put the visitors in control for the remainder of the game. Elijah Bryant scored 25 points for Hapoel, and Vasilije Micic added 24. Brizuela and Justin Robinson each scored 22 points for Barcelona.
Hapoel head coach Dimitrios Itoudis blamed the loss on defensive lapses. He said the team allowed 16 offensive rebounds, which made it difficult to hold onto the nine-point lead. Barcelona coach Aleksander Sekulic credited his team's defense for limiting Hapoel's scoring and creating offensive opportunities.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fell behind early in Belgrade, trailing 23-7 before the first quarter ended 28-23. Partizan widened the lead to 50-35 at halftime. Maccabi scored in single digits in each of the final three quarters and shot 5-of-23 from the perimeter. Ethan Thompson led Partizan with 16 points, while Daniel Theis scored 11 for Maccabi.
Maccabi head coach Oded Katash admitted his team played without confidence. He apologized to the fans and said the squad must improve quickly. Partizan coach Joan Penarroya praised the balanced effort, noting that players shared the ball effectively without relying solely on star performers.
The two Israeli teams will meet twice this week. They are scheduled to face off in the Winner Cup final first, followed by a Euroleague matchup in Cyprus.
Ethan Thompson of Partizan said the team must adapt to different positions throughout the long season. Bonzie Colson of Maccabi stressed the need to improve on both ends of the floor ahead of the upcoming derbies.
