In a dominant performance at home, Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Rishon Le Zion Maccabi 87-74 in a Ligat HaAl clash on May 10, 2026. The victory strengthened Jerusalem’s push for playoff positioning, while Rishon Le Zion suffered a setback in their bid to climb the standings.

Match Overview

From the opening tip, Hapoel Jerusalem imposed their will, using a high-pressure defense and efficient transition offense to build an early lead. By halftime, the hosts held a 44-35 advantage, fueled by sharp three-point shooting and strong rebounding. Rishon Le Zion Maccabi struggled to contain Jerusalem’s movement off the ball and often settled for contested perimeter shots.

Key Moments

• First Quarter Surge: Jerusalem opened with a 12-2 run, forcing an early timeout from Rishon Le Zion. The home side shot 60% from the field in the first ten minutes.
• Second Quarter Response: Rishon Le Zion trimmed the deficit to six points midway through the second quarter behind a series of drives from their point guard, but Jerusalem answered with a 9-0 run to restore control.
• Third Quarter Breakaway: A 14-4 spurt early in the third quarter extended Jerusalem’s lead to 20 points (64-44), effectively putting the game out of reach.
• Late Rally Falls Short: Rishon Le Zion cut the margin to 11 in the final period but could not get closer, as Jerusalem’s defense stiffened in the closing minutes.

Tactical Story

Hapoel Jerusalem’s game plan revolved around ball movement and exploiting mismatches in the paint. Their big men consistently set effective screens, freeing shooters on the perimeter. Defensively, they switched aggressively on pick-and-rolls, disrupting Rishon Le Zion’s rhythm. The visitors, by contrast, relied too heavily on isolation plays and turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 18 points for Jerusalem on the break.

Standout Players

For Hapoel Jerusalem, veteran guard Johnathan Williams led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Eliyahu Avraham contributed a double-double of 16 points and 11 boards, anchoring the interior. On the other side, Rishon Le Zion’s David Cohen fought through foul trouble to score 19 points, while Michael Levi chipped in 14 points off the bench.

Impact on the Standings

The win lifted Hapoel Jerusalem to 18-10 on the season, solidifying third place in the Ligat HaAl table. They now trail second-place Bnei Herzliya by just one game. Rishon Le Zion dropped to 12-16, remaining in eighth place but seeing their gap to the top six widen. With the regular season winding down, every result matters in the race for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Hapoel Jerusalem will look to carry this momentum into their next fixture against Hapoel Tel Aviv, while Rishon Le Zion must regroup quickly for a critical matchup with Maccabi Tel Aviv.