Maccabi Tel Aviv pulled off a stunning 86-75 comeback victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv to capture the Winner Cup and claim the first piece of silverware of the season. Down by as many as 23 points, the yellow-and-blue flipped the script in spectacular fashion, riding a monster second-half performance from Jimmy Clark, Daniel Theis and Keaton Wallace to stun the Reds.

Clark was the driving force behind the comeback, finishing with a game-high 24 points and earning MVP honors. Theis and Wallace added 16 points apiece, while Eugene German paced Hapoel with 26 points in a losing effort.

Maccabi got off to the better start, with Jaylen Hoard and Clark providing the early offense as Oded Katash’s squad took a 26-17 lead after the opening quarter. Hapoel responded in the second, however, as Khadeen Carrington found his range and German caught fire from beyond the arc, drilling five three-pointers in the period to send Dimitrios Itoudis’s team into halftime with a 44-36 advantage.

The Reds carried that momentum into the second half and appeared to have the game firmly in hand. German continued to score, Tai Odiase added points inside, and Hapoel’s defense completely shut down Maccabi, holding the yellow-and-blue scoreless for the first seven minutes of the third quarter. The lead ballooned to 59-36, leaving Maccabi staring at a 23-point deficit.

But the game was far from over.

Theis, Wallace and Clark finally got Maccabi’s offense rolling, sparking a furious rally that cut the deficit to 62-51 heading into the fourth quarter. Wallace opened the final frame with a triple before Clark caught fire, knocking down back-to-back threes. Theis threw down a dunk, and Clark connected again from downtown as Maccabi stormed into a 65-64 lead midway through the quarter.

From there, the yellow-and-blue never looked back. Wallace and Clark continued to rain threes, Hoard chipped in with a pair of baskets and Wallace delivered another long-range dagger to put the finishing touches on a remarkable comeback and another trophy for the Maccabi cabinet.

Following the victory, Katash admitted that his team had made life difficult for itself but was thrilled with the character shown in the comeback, “I don’t know what that was. Coming back from a situation like that isn’t easy. Lack of effort wasn’t our problem. We struggled with simple plays, just as we have throughout this recent stretch. Shots weren’t falling, and five minutes of losing focus brought them back into the game. It helps when you make shots in basketball, and things finally started to loosen up for us. We had been waiting for momentum, and sometimes you need a little luck too. We showed a lot of character. After a stretch like this, we’re happy for the club and the fans. We deserved this.”

Itoudis was understandably disappointed after watching his team surrender such a commanding advantage, “Unfortunately, we couldn’t give some joy to our fans. We were up 23 points and played solid basketball, but something happened. We couldn’t get a bucket, we gave up 31 points off turnovers, and we couldn’t hit our free throws. It’s tough, but life isn’t easy, and we need to stand up, take the next game as redemption and bring joy to those who support us.”

MVP Clark credited the team’s belief and determination for completing the turnaround, “We believed in each other. We were disappointed to go into halftime trailing, but we’ve had a tough season and knew there would be ups and downs. So we just wanted to fight and give everything we had, especially in moments like these. I always have faith. I believe in the players alongside me, and they believe in me.”
Hapoel’s Khadeen Carrington acknowledged the disappointment but insisted the Reds would quickly turn their attention to the next opportunity, with another showdown against Maccabi looming in the EuroLeague on Thursday.

“That was a tough one. We played well in the first half, but then things went the wrong way in the second half. We threw the first punch, and then they threw the punch in the second half, and we didn’t recover. It’s a different game on Thursday in the EuroLeague. We all took this one tough. It stings, and we will go out and try to win it.”

For Maccabi, it was a night of resilience, belief and a comeback that will be remembered long after the Winner Cup celebrations end. For Hapoel, it was a painful lesson in how quickly a game can slip away and one they’ll have to put behind them before Thursday’s rematch.