Ish Wainright’s two way impact and Chris Jones’s clutch shooting fuel a comeback that keeps Hapoel in control of the race at the top
Wainright, Jones Spark Hapoel’s gritty comeback over Efes
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Regular Season
Round 23 of 38
Regular Season
Hapoel IBI Tel AvivHTA
7166
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
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Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv didn’t just survive — it roared back to life in Sofia. In a bruising, momentum‑swinging battle, Coach Dimitris Itoudis’s squad erased a double‑digit deficit and powered past Anadolu Efes Istanbul 71–66 at Arena 8888. With the pressure rising, Hapoel delivered exactly the kind of resilient, hard‑nosed response you expect from a team sitting firmly at the top of the standings.
This wasn’t just a win; it was a statement about toughness and identity. Efes punched first, imposing its rhythm and freely exploiting mismatches inside as Pablo Laso’s power‑forward‑driven game plan opened cracks in Hapoel’s two‑center lineup. Ercan Osmani ignited a 2–13 run, Isaia Cordinier piled on, and suddenly Hapoel looked stuck searching for answers.
Then Saben Lee entered and the tension spiked. After a rough Round 22 showing, he came off the bench firing — and Efes rode that momentum. Lee buried shots, stretched the floor, and pushed his tally to 15 points by halftime, while Osmani’s interior scoring kept Hapoel off balance. At the break, Efes had all the control, and Hapoel had a mountain to climb.
"We had a bad approach for most of the time in the first half. I think we got it on in the third quarter and managed to keep them below 10 points after allowing 24 and 19 in the first two quarters," Coach Itoudis said. "Sometimes it looks like we play with fire, but we do have a defensive identity and don't bring it on the court from the beginning. That's another challenge. This is another lesson for us. But congratulations to the team that found a way to get another W because this is important as well."
Needing a more balanced lineup, Hapoel turned to Ish Wainwright, who played the entirety of the second half, except for the final 8 seconds. Wainwright delivered, scoring 11 of his 13 points after the break to put Hapoel on the right track. Once Wainright started to excel on defense, switching in pick-and-roll plays to go against guards and hitting three-pointers, everybody followed. Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu helped Hapoel climb from a 35-45 deficit to go up 55-54 - its first lead since the first quarter.
Efes fought back and stayed in the game. Bryant split free throws to tie the game, 62-62, in the next-to-last minute. Coach Itoudis needed a go-to guy to finish the game, and Chris Jones took the role to lead Hapoel to a much-fought victory.
"As a player, you kind of hate being in those situations, especially at home, like late-game situations. But we were very resilient and believe in each other. It came to the end and I have great teammates around me. So it makes the offense a little easier," Jones said after the game. "I made a tough shot at the end, but you work on it. So went through and I'm happy we won."
Wainright dove for a loose ball to force a jump ball situation against Osmani. Even though Osmani won the tip, the ball went straight to Jones, who scored at the other end. After Nick Weiler-Babb split foul shots, Jones buried a critical three-pointer off the dribble for a 67-63 score with 24.4 seconds left. Jones soon added a pair of free throws, which allowed the Hapoel fans to celebrate.
"I think we did a really good job of getting defense. Chris was able to lead us in the second half, organize us and most importantly, get the win," Bryant said. "We've always got to share the ball, trust each other more and get more stops on defense and then get out and run."
The win saw Hapoel remain atop the standings with its record improving to 16-6, while Efes dropped to 6-17, which is tied for last in the table.
Efes will try to end its seven-game losing streak at home against Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday. A day later, Hapoel visits Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
