Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 88-84 as Vasilije Micic hit the game winning 3-pointer to give the visitors the semifinal game two victory at the Arena in the capital city.

Jerusalem got off to a hot start as Khadeen Carrington, Justin Smith and Cassius Winston all scored but Yam Madar hit his shots from deep while Ish Wainright and Chris Jones all scored to help the visitors to a 43-40 lead at halftime. Madar, Wainright and Micic continued to fill the basket as Jared Harper, Winston and Carrington kept the game close, however, Micic’s 3-pointer as time wound down handed Hapoel Tel Aviv the lead for good as they closed out the game two win. While it’s still unclear if Hapoel Tel Aviv’s game one victory will be upheld or not, game three of the best-of-five series is slated for Thursday night at Yad Eliyahu.

Madar scored 25 points, Wainright added 21 points, Jones scored 15 points and Micic dropped 14 points in the victory while Carrington scored 16 points, Winston put in 13 points and Smith scored 12 points in the loss.

Tel Aviv Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis looked back at the victory, “It was an amazing second win for us, we had a slow start but I trusted the team would come back and we did. On defense and offense we found a way to get good shots. We showed a lot of character and we shot really well from three. As far as I see it we are ahead 2-0 as we were there and the other team didn’t show up (for the fourth quarter of game one after the teams had been sent to the lockerroom due to the Iranian missile attack on Israel). For us it’s obviously 2-0.”

Jerusalem Head Coach Yonatan Alon reflected on the loss, “Great players make great plays and we saw that with the 3-pointer by Vasilije Micic, but games like this can go any way and it went theirs. There were a lot of small details that we just couldn’t meet and that was key in this game. The days were tough and it hadn’t been easy. There are a lot of thoughts and opinions as to what should have happened but it’s been a long ride this entire season.”

Ish Wainright spoke about the win, “We came out and punched back after a slow start, we finished the game strong and after the game we spoke about what we have to do better next game as it’s a war. Credit goes to the teammates and fans that showed up, it’s a war and my job is to do whatever I can. As for Vasa’s 3-pointer, we all know he can make shots like that, he’s done so his entire career and we are excited to see him hit that shot.”

Eitan Burg spoke about the defeat, “It’s rough and we wanted to win this game and that was the goal going into it. That was really important for me and also to put on a good show. We were there and we battled, we wanted to win, but it were those small details at the end of the game that was the difference. The last couple of days have been very difficult and I really have a ton of respect for the foreign players who stayed here. They really gave it all in this game.”

Nimrod Levi opened up the game from the outside and inside off the glass, Khadeen Carrington hit a fadeaway jumper and Jared Harper went from deep to get Hapoel Jerusalem off and running with a 12-1 lead. Yam Madar came back for a pair from beyond the arc, Vasilije Micic drained a turnaround, Justin Smith, Cassius Winston and Eitan Burg scored at the other end but baskets by Ish Wainright pulled Hapoel Tel Aviv to within 6-points, 26-20 after ten minutes of play.

Smith began the second quarter with points, Madar and Zuf Ben Moshe traded triples, Chris Jones nailed a step-back jumper and went from deep, Madar and Jonathan Motley put in points as Winston came back with a jumper but Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad grabbed a 43-40 advantage at halftime.

Madar and Wainright dialled up from long distance to start off the third quarter, Micic began to heat up with a pair of 3-pointers and a deuce as Wainright put in a 3-point play to bump the lead up to double digits. But Carrington went from the inside and outside, Winston scored, Smith put down a tomahawk dunk and Levi dropped a floater to close the gap down to 71-68 after thirty minutes of action.

Dmytro Skapintsev scored in the paint to get the final frame underway, Madar scored an and-one, Smith dropped his patented tear drop, Wainright nailed a corner 3-ball, Jones put in a layup, Carrington went deep from dead center, Jones drilled home a 3-pointer, Carrington scored a deuce but Harper shot blanks as time wound down and Micic drained a 3-pointer to give Hapoel Tel Aviv the win.