Real Madrid edges Hap Tel Aviv in Euroleague series opener

Real Madrid has taken an early lead in their Euroleague best-of-five quarterfinal series against Hapoel Tel Aviv, winning Game 1 by a score of 86-82. The Jerusalem Post reports that Real Madrid, led by a stellar performance from Facundo Campazzo, established a significant lead early on, which Hapoel struggled to overcome despite a late surge.

Campazzo was instrumental for the Spanish club, pouring in 21 points, supported by contributions from Trey Lyles, Mario Hezonja, and Gabriel Deck. For Hapoel Tel Aviv, Antonio Blakeney put up a valiant effort with 25 points, and Dan Oturu added 20 points and 17 rebounds. Despite a strong second half where Hapoel managed to cut the deficit, they ultimately succumbed to the pressure and Real Madrid's control of offensive rebounds.

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I congratulate Real Madrid on their first win. Our main problem was the first quarter, in which we allowed 27 points, this significantly hurt us going forward. We tried to stop their fast transition game, but in the end, their control of the offensive rebounds was what decided the game. I’m proud of the players for the way we played and won the second half.

Hapoel coach Dimitris Itoudis acknowledged the first quarter as a critical turning point, stating, "Our main problem was the first quarter, in which we allowed 27 points, this significantly hurt us going forward." He expressed pride in his team's second-half performance but noted that Real Madrid's control of offensive rebounds was decisive.

In domestic Israeli basketball news, Maccabi Tel Aviv also secured a victory, defeating Elitzur Netanya 102-92. Jimmy Clark and Jaylen Hoard were pivotal in Maccabi's late-game comeback. Maccabi coach Oded Katash reflected on the game, noting lapses in concentration and the challenges of maintaining high energy levels, especially with an incomplete roster. He expressed happiness that the team "found a way to get it done" despite Netanya winning the rebounding battle.

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We lost a bit of concentration. We have some tough challenges, we need to maintain a high energy level and that’s not so simple. Maybe it will help when we go back to playing twice a week. We’re missing an Israeli player at the power forward position and you could feel that Iffe Lundberg, who made his return, is not yet in rhythm. These are not easy challenges. I’m happy we found a way to get it done. Netanya has size, they won the rebounding battle, but we found a way to win.