Hapoel Jerusalem remained perfect on the season, defeating Aris 84–73 in a highly anticipated showdown between two of the top teams in the standings to improve to 6–0. After a tightly contested opening quarter, Vassilis Spanoulis’s squad took a 40–35 lead into halftime.

However, Sasa Obradovic’s Reds responded with a 14–0 run in the third quarter to take a 57–56 advantage heading into the final frame. In the fourth, Kenny Lofton Jr., Shake Milton and Jaleen Smith came up with key baskets and converted their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Lofton led Jerusalem with 22 points, Milton added 19, Lorenzo Brown scored 11 and Smith chipped in with 10. For Aris, Adam Mokoka paced the visitors with 13 points, while EJ Liddell added 12.

After the game, head coach Sasa Obradovic spoke about the victory: “Position in the standings doesn’t mean anything at this moment, but it was good to win. We struggled at certain moments because of Aris’s tough defense, but we played great defense in the second half. Defense won us the game, and this was a team victory, not a Milton or Lofton victory. But the real credit goes to these fans, who made things easier for us with their support.”

Lorenzo Brown also reflected on the win: “The energy for this victory came from the fans, and we fed off them. They carried us a long way tonight. We knew Aris would push and fight to win the game, but we wanted it more. As for me, I’m still finding my place. It’s a process, and I’m still adjusting to my role.”

Shake Milton added: “It was a total team effort, and we locked into the game plan. When things got stagnant, we were able to pull it together and come away with the win.”

Dusan Miletic, Eitan Burg and Milton helped the Reds get off to a strong start, but Aris quickly responded with three-pointers from Elijah Mitrou-Long, EJ Liddell, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Matthew Morgan to take a 19–18 lead after the opening ten minutes.

Morgan continued to find ways to score from all three levels, while Lorenzo Brown tried to keep Jerusalem within striking distance. Neno Dimitrijevic found points with ease, and Lofton added a pair of baskets, but Khem Birch helped Spanoulis’s side maintain its advantage, sending Aris into the break up 40–35.

Devontae Cacok began making his presence felt as the third quarter got underway, while Milton and Jaleen Smith knocked down Jerusalem’s first three-pointers of the night. The shots helped Obradovic’s squad put together a game-changing 14–0 run and take a 49–42 lead. Robinson-Earl and Mitrou-Long answered from beyond the arc, while Lofton added two more baskets. However, Stylianos Poulianitis and Liddell helped Aris close the gap to just one, 57–56, heading into the final ten minutes.

Milton opened the fourth quarter with another three-pointer, while Liddell and Brown traded shots from downtown. Mokoka and Milton then exchanged baskets from inside the arc as the contest remained tight. However, Yovel Zoosman, Lofton and Smith all came through at the free-throw line down the stretch, before Lofton put the finishing touches on the victory with a pair of baskets, one from inside and another from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Bnei Herzliya fell 101–89 on the road to Bonn on Wednesday night in Basketball Champions League action, dropping to 0–3 in Group H and remaining in last place. Yehu Orland’s squad surrendered 19 points in less than five minutes and quickly found itself facing a double-digit deficit. However, led by Dusty Hannahs, Herzliya battled back and went into halftime tied at 48–48 after even taking the lead.

The third quarter remained competitive, with the Israelis trailing just 75–71 heading into the final period. However, Bonn pulled away in the fourth quarter, building a lead of as many as 15 points to secure the victory.

Hannahs led Herzliya with 20 points, while Noah Carter and DJ Brewton added 13 points apiece. Joel Aminu paced Bonn with a game-high 23 points.