Hapoel Beats Maccabi 105-87 as Micic's Nine Triples Decide the Tel Aviv Derby

Hapoel Tel Aviv turned an early shooting advantage into a 105-87 away victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 1, opening the rivals' concentrated run of meetings with a decisive league result. Vasilije Micic led the winners with 31 points, including nine three pointers from 13 attempts. Maccabi's own match recap and Eurohoops both recorded that shooting line.

Hapoel's perimeter attack set the terms

The visitors made 19 of their 31 attempts from beyond the arc, according to Maccabi's recap. That produced 57 points from three pointers alone, more than half of Hapoel's total. Micic supplied 27 of those points, with his remaining four coming at the free throw line, where Eurohoops recorded four successful attempts.

The figures explain the particular challenge Maccabi faced. Hapoel did not need a narrow succession of difficult possessions to preserve its lead. Successful outside shots repeatedly extended the margin, making each attempted comeback more expensive. Micic's accuracy also sat within a broader team performance: the other Hapoel players combined for ten additional three pointers, so the threat continued beyond one player's scoring bursts.

The gap widened through three quarters

Hapoel led 26-22 after the first quarter and 59-47 at halftime. By the end of the third period, its advantage had reached 83-63, according to Ynet's account of the game. The eventual 18-point margin followed a contest in which the visitors had already built a 20-point cushion before the final ten minutes.

Maccabi reduced the deficit to 16 early in the fourth quarter, but Hapoel maintained control. Ynet described Tai Odiase's finishing and further Micic scoring among the plays that prevented a sustained recovery. The progression from four points to twelve and then twenty shows where the result took shape: Hapoel extended its advantage across successive periods instead of relying on one late run.

Support scoring gave the winners room

Antonio Blakeney added 18 points and Odiase scored 17. Tamir Blatt, Amir Coffey and Tomer Ginat each finished with nine, according to the Jerusalem Post's November 2 recap. That spread gave Hapoel useful production around Micic and made it harder for Maccabi to reduce the problem to stopping a single scorer.

Blatt's appearance also drew attention because he was facing his former club. The Post quoted coach Dimitris Itoudis discussing his limited preparation time with the team and his contribution at both ends. Itoudis also highlighted the team's 11 turnovers. His comments placed the shooting within a wider assessment of execution, confidence and ball security.

Maccabi found points but could not close the deficit

Yam Madar led Maccabi with 18 points, Roman Sorkin scored 15 and Bonzie Colson added 14. Armando Bacot contributed ten, according to Ynet. Maccabi had several scoring options, yet the total remained well short of a Hapoel attack that repeatedly converted possessions into three points.

The defeat was Maccabi's second consecutive league loss and fifth straight across competitions. Its domestic record fell to two wins and two defeats, while Hapoel moved to three wins and one defeat, Eurohoops reported. Those records put the derby in its early season setting: a significant result between rivals, with most of the league schedule still ahead.

Recent history gives the rivalry another layer

Before Sunday's game, Maccabi's official preview recalled its 101-83 Super Cup victory over Hapoel on September 17. The November result reversed the winning side in that earlier meeting. Different competitions have already produced sharply different outcomes between the same clubs this season.

The preview also noted that Hapoel won all three regular season derbies last season, before Maccabi won their championship final series three games to one. Sunday's result extended Hapoel's regular season derby streak to four, as Israel National News reported. The rivalry's recent record therefore contains both Hapoel's run in league meetings and Maccabi's success in the title series.

More meetings will demand a response

The clubs are due to meet again in the Winner Cup final and in the EuroLeague. Maccabi's immediate European assignment is an away game against Partizan on Friday, November 6, according to its match recap. The schedule gives the losing side another competitive test before it returns to the derby.

For Hapoel, Sunday's performance supplies a concrete standard: distributed scoring, strong outside accuracy and a lead that grew through three quarters. For Maccabi, the next task is to contain opposing perimeter production well enough for its own scoring to matter. The 105-87 result showed how quickly that balance can tilt.