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Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv survived a remarkable Real Madrid comeback to secure a 102-98 victory in Sofia on Thursday, handing Pedro Martinez’s team its third consecutive EuroLeague defeat to open the season.
Real Madrid fell behind early and spent most of the first half chasing Hapoel. The Israeli side built a 12-point advantage within the opening seven minutes before extending its lead to 22 points as its offense continued to punish Madrid.
Hapoel scored 63 points before halftime and entered the break in control. Real, however, responded with a dramatic turnaround after the interval.
Los Blancos produced a 0-19 run that completely erased Hapoel’s advantage and allowed Madrid to take the lead before the end of the third quarter. The comeback was driven in part by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who scored 14 points in six minutes during the third-quarter surge.
Hapoel regained control in the fourth quarter, though, as the energy required for Madrid’s comeback proved difficult to sustain. The Tel Aviv team pulled away late to complete a perfect two-win week and improve to 2-1 in the EuroLeague.
Elijah Bryant was the standout performer for Hapoel, producing 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for a career-best Performance Index Rating of 40. It was his second double-double of the week.
Vasilije Micic also scored 22 points, while Zach LeDay added 15 points and Bruno Caboclo contributed 15. Hapoel shot 60.5 percent from two-point range and 42.9 percent from three-point range, finishing with 16 assists.
Theo Maledon led Real Madrid with 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds, also recording a PIR of 40. Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 21 points, while Walter Tavares added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Madrid shot 60.5 percent from inside the arc but struggled from three-point range, making 11 of 30 attempts. The team also committed 12 turnovers compared with Hapoel’s nine.
The defeat leaves Real Madrid at 0-3, with all three losses coming in different circumstances. Madrid fell to Dubai Basketball after a late collapse in Round 1 before losing to Anadolu Efes on Tuesday following a difficult second quarter.
Real Madrid will return to Spain for its first home game of the EuroLeague season next Thursday, when Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade visits. Hapoel will travel to Valencia on the same night.
