Unimaginable. Maccabi Tel Aviv captured the Winner Cup on Monday for the 12th time in club history following one of the greatest comebacks seen in Israeli basketball in recent years. The Yellows, who entered the final reeling from six consecutive losses across all competitions, trailed by as many as 23 points against Hapoel Tel Aviv before mounting a stunning 35-13 final-quarter surge to seal an 86-75 triumph at the Toto Arena in Holon.
After being trounced 105-87 in the league derby, Oded Kattash and his squad celebrated their second trophy of the season. Meanwhile, Dimitris Itoudis and his side squandered an opportunity to claim the Winner Cup for the first time in franchise history and secure their first domestic title since 1993. Jimmy Clark spearheaded the victory with a heroic 24-point performance, supported by 16 points apiece from Daniel Theis and Keaton Wallace. A 26-point display from Eugene German was ultimately not enough for the Reds.
Yellows take early lead before Reds strike back
Maccabi Tel Aviv actually controlled the early proceedings. Following a hesitant opening spell from both sides, Yam Madar sank a three-pointer, Jalen Hoard asserted his presence in the paint, and Clark heated up from distance with two triples in short order. Hapoel Tel Aviv, playing without the injured Vasilije Micic and Tomas Satoransky, struggled to establish an offensive rhythm, relying almost exclusively on early production from Antonio Blakeney and Dan Oturu. Dominating the offensive glass, the Yellows built a double-digit cushion to close the opening period ahead 26-17.
The momentum flipped entirely in the second frame. Hapoel intensified its defensive pressure, holding Maccabi without a field goal for extended stretches while igniting a decisive rally. German took center stage in the first half, knocking down five consecutive three-pointers en route to 17 points as the Yellows lost their offensive flow. Outscoring Maccabi 27-10 in the quarter, the Reds carried a 44-36 advantage into halftime.
Hapoel dominates third quarter to extend advantage
Maccabi's struggles persisted after half-time. Kattash’s unit went scoreless for over seven minutes in the third period, allowing German to drill his sixth three-pointer of the night as the deficit expanded to an astonishing 59-36. Just as the contest appeared out of reach, Theis provided a spark with a hard-fought and-one play, initiating a run that trimmed the margin to 62-51 by the end of the third period.
What followed was one of the most dramatic quarters in the history of Tel Aviv derbies. Kattash's squad overwhelmed a paralyzed Hapoel side. Clark connected twice from long range, Wallace added another triple, and the gap quickly closed to four points. After Blakeney committed back-to-back turnovers, Clark completed a remarkable turnaround to put Maccabi ahead 65-64 as the Reds unraveled. Wallace and Clark continued to punish Hapoel’s defense, expanding the unanswered run to 22-2.
Kattash's team showed no signs of slowing down in the closing stages. With two and a half minutes remaining, a brilliant delivery from Madar to Hoard pushed the advantage to 80-68, capping a 34-4 stretch that transformed a heavy deficit into a comfortable lead. The Yellows capitalized on the game's shift in momentum, leaving the stunned Reds with a bitter defeat.
Pivotal moment in a challenging campaign
While "only" the Winner Cup, this victory could mark a pivotal turning point for Maccabi Tel Aviv in an otherwise taxing campaign. Following six straight defeats, a humiliating derby loss, and mounting external scrutiny, Kattash and his players demonstrated their resilience under pressure. Clark delivered an outstanding performance, Theis initiated the second-half resurgence, Wallace delivered in key moments, and the Yellows ultimately lifted the Winner Cup for the 12th time.
For Ofer Yannay's club, the outcome represents a devastating missed opportunity. Itoudis' side held a commanding 23-point lead and seemed poised to secure a historic title before collapsing in the fourth quarter. The two cross-town rivals will meet again in just three days in EuroLeague action, setting the stage for another intense chapter in the rivalry.
Game statistics
Maccabi Tel Aviv scorers:
- Jimmy Clark: 24 points (6 three-pointers, 7 assists)
- Keaton Wallace: 16 points
- Daniel Theis: 16 points
- Jalen Hoard: 12 points
- Yam Madar: 10 points
- Roman Sorkin: 6 points
- Will Rayman: 2 points
Hapoel Tel Aviv scorers:
- Eugene German: 26 points (6 three-pointers)
- Antonio Blakeney: 8 points
- Kadeen Carrington: 8 points
- Elijah Bryant: 7 points
- Tai Odiase: 7 points
- Dan Oturu: 7 points
- Tomer Ginat: 6 points
- Oz Blayzer: 3 points
- Tamir Blatt: 3 points
Play-by-play
Quarter 1:
Kattash started with Yam Madar, John DiBartolomeo, Oshae Brissett, Jalen Hoard, and Roman Sorkin. On the other side, Itoudis opened with Eugene German, Bar Timor, Elijah Bryant, Tomer Ginat, and Dan Oturu. Oturu accounted for the first points with a close-range jump shot, and the Yellows kept missing, but the Reds couldn't translate that into a lead either. Madar was the first to wake up for Kattash with an open three-pointer, and after four minutes of misses and trench warfare, it was only 6-4 for the Yellows. Hoard broke a streak of five team field goal misses, while Itoudis' crew remained scattered (10-8). Clark heated up his shooting hand on one end, and Blakeney returned fire on the other, but this quarter belonged to Hoard, who arrived aggressive and set a high lead for Kattash along with Clark (20-12). Maccabi's offensive rebounding helped them escape to a 10-point lead (24-14), until a Carrington three made it 26-17 for the Yellows.
Quarter 2:
An 0-5 start by the Reds featuring a monster dunk by Odiase and a Blatt three cut the gap to 4. The Yellows didn't score for three minutes, and Itoudis' naturalized player, Carrington, capitalized to narrow it to 24-26. Sorkin broke the drought with two free throws, and after a sequence of misses on both ends, the Yellow center finished a fast break with an easy dunk that marked the Yellows' first field goal of the quarter (30-27). Despite Maccabi's tenth offensive rebound (!), German nailed no less than five consecutive three-pointers, and the lead swung to the Red side at the end of a crushing 27-10 quarter. 44-36 for Itoudis at halftime.
Quarter 3:
Kattash's crew once again opened inaccurately and paid for it quickly. While Sorkin missed two open three-pointers including an airball, Bryant scored his first field goal and the gap grew to 18 (54-36). The Red defense led by Odiase and Bryant locked down the paint, Madar, Clark, and the rest of the Yellow crew missed from every range, offensive rebounding ceased to be a weapon for Kattash, and Maccabi failed to score a single point for over seven minutes. Who else but German punished with his sixth three-pointer on the way to a massive 59-36 scoreline. Salvation came from Theis with an and-one that broke a 15-0 Red run, but the massive gap remained intact (61-41). This time it was Maccabi's turn to go on a 10-2 run led by the German center, playing his best game since arriving in Israel. A great assist from Clark to Wallace closed the quarter at 62-51 for Hapoel.
Quarter 4:
Maccabi Tel Aviv wasn't going anywhere, and two three-pointers from Clark plus another by Wallace closed the gap to just 4 points thanks to an incredible 14-2 run, after it seemed the game was over. Blakeney turned the ball over twice, and the hot Clark translated it into a crazy lead change (65-64). Hapoel simply kept missing, Wallace and Clark continued the 22-2 run without any response from Itoudis and his players, who were simply in shock (71-64). The Yellow blitz continued with a wonderful assist from Madar to Hoard with two and a half minutes left on the clock, keeping the unbelievable 34-4 run alive (80-68). At the end of an unimaginable 35-13 fourth quarter, Kattash and his players celebrated their 12th title in the competition - 86-75 at the finish on an evening that might change the momentum of the Yellows this season.