Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a postseason berth
Buducnost rallies past Hapoel, 84-83
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica outscored Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 10-1 in the final minute to complete a comeback from a 13-point deficit to win 84-83 at Moraca. The victory raised Buducnost’s record to 7-8 and put it in sixth place in Group A, while Hapoel fell to fourth place with a 9-6 record. Despite the loss, Hapoel clinched a ticket to the postseason.
Rasheed Sulaimon paced the winners with 19 points, Nikola Tanaskovic contributed 14 and McKinley Wright added 11 points and 6 assists. Alen Omic tallied 4 points and 9 rebounds and in doing so moved past Jamar Smith (1,396) and into fourth place on the EuroCup’s all-time scoring charts with 1,399 points.
Bruno Caboclo paced the Hapoel attack with 16 points, Tomer Ginat tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds, Johnathan Motley also scored 15 and Yam Madar had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in defeat.
Game Videos
Hapoel started strong with a Madar jumper and a Ginat triple only to see Buducnost answer with a Sulaimon layup and a three by Wright. The visitors quickly regained the lead through Motley and Ish Wainright, whose second three of the game made it 9-13. Motley added to the lead with 5 straight points in the paint. Sulaimon scored twice in transition and Tanaskovic heated up with 5 points to trim the gap to 18-20. Dordije Jovanovic’s dunk briefly tied that game at 22-22, but Caboclo responded with a triple seconds later. Omic scored his historic basket and Joe Ragland’s layup made it 24-27 after 10 minutes.
Tanaskovic buried another three early in the second quarter and Fletcher Magee followed from deep to give Buducnost the lead. The Buducnost defense held Hapoel scoreless for more than three minutes and Omic’s tip-in made it 34-30. Caboclo ended the Hapoel drought and, after Tanaskovic free throws, Bar Timor made it a 1-point game with a triple. After a Buducnost timeout, threes by Jovanovic and Sulaimon made it 42-37. Marcus Foster and Oz Blayzer revived the visitors and Motley put Hapoel back on top with free throws. Tanaskovic scored on the offensive glass before Joe Ragland beat the halftime buzzer to give Hapoel a 49-50 advantage.
Caboclo and Wainright ignited a 0-11 run early in the second half. Ginat and Madar also contributed as Hapoel made it 51-61. Yogi Ferell tried to get Buducnost back on track and Juwan Morgan added free throws, but Madar and Ginat kept Hapoel on track. A floater by Ferrell drew Buducnost within 60-67 at the end of the third quarter.
Caboclo restored a double-digit lead to open the fourth quarter and restore a double-digit Hapoel lead. A minute later, Madar connected from deep to push the margin to 13. It took more than 3 minutes before Sulaimon scored Buducnost’s first points of the fourth quarter. A three by Morgan and floater by Wright gave Buducnost hope at 69-75 and prompted a Hapoel timeout. After sitting for the last quarter and a half, Motley returned to the game and sank a mid-range jumper. Ginat’s fourth three of the game made it 71-80. Sulaimon answered with a three, but he and Fletcher both missed on the ensuing possession as the clock started to play a factor. Madar added points from the line and Wainright denied Morgan at the rim, but Buducnost fought on. A three by Fletcher and basket by Wright made it 79-82 with 18.5 seconds left. After Madar split free throws, Sulaimon got Buducnost within 2. With 11.5 seconds to play, Wainright missed 2 free throws and Patrick Beverley then fouled Fletcher, who was shooting a three, with 4.4 seconds left. Fletcher made all 3 free throws and Marcus Foster missed for Hapoel at the buzzer.