Barcelona Survive Hapoel Tel Aviv Rally as Brizuela Delivers Late Winner
Darío Brizuela scored 22 points and hit the late basket that helped Barcelona edge Hapoel Tel Aviv 93-90 after squandering a 14-point lead.
Barcelona’s 93-90 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv took a late Darío Brizuela basket and a missed Vasilije Micic three-pointer to secure. The result extends Barça’s winning run in the EuroLeague, but the closing minutes made clear how quickly its control could disappear: after building a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, the visitors had to defend a final possession to escape with the victory.
Brizuela finished with 22 points, while Robinson added 20 to lead Barcelona’s scoring. Their production mattered in a game shaped by sharp swings rather than steady back-and-forth play. Hapoel opened with a 16-6 run, and the visitors spent the early stretch trying to stop that advantage from growing. Elijah Bryant and Micic supplied much of the home side’s offense as Barça worked its way back into the contest.
Barcelona turns a nine-point deficit into control
The teams went into halftime level at 46-46, but Hapoel made the first move after the break, pushing ahead 58-49. That was the point at which the game’s direction changed. Brizuela took responsibility for Barcelona’s response, attacking the basket and giving the visitors the scoring spark they needed to flip the deficit into a lead.
By the end of the third quarter, Barça had turned 58-49 into 60-69. The 2-20 burst changed the stakes of the final period: Hapoel had to chase, while Barcelona had a chance to turn its momentum into a road win. The run also showed why Brizuela’s contribution went beyond his final points total. He was central to the stretch that pulled Barça out of trouble and put the game on its terms.
Barcelona kept pressing into the fourth quarter and stretched the margin to 64-78, its largest lead of the night. At that stage, the visitors appeared to have built enough separation to manage the finish. But the lead offered little protection once Hapoel’s main creators found their rhythm again. Micic and Bryant drove the home side’s comeback, punishing Barcelona’s mistakes and turning what looked like a relatively comfortable finish into a one-possession contest.
Micic and Bryant bring Hapoel back
Bryant was the game’s standout performer, recording 25 points and 35 in valuation. Micic added 24 points and seven assists, giving Hapoel a second major scoring threat and helping fuel the late push. Josh Nebo contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyrese Martin had 11 points and six rebounds. Tosan Evbuomwan supplied eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
That spread of contributions gave Hapoel ways to keep the pressure on after falling behind by 14. Bryant and Micic were the principal engines, but Nebo’s rebounding and the work of Martin and Evbuomwan helped sustain the effort. Barcelona had done enough to create a large cushion; it still had to respond when Hapoel made that cushion vanish.
Contested refereeing decisions formed part of the tense final stretch, but the defining shift came as Hapoel’s leading guards turned Barcelona’s errors into another chance to win. The visitors had to recover their composure and find one more score after losing the control their third-quarter surge had earned.
Brizuela settles the final possession
With the score tight and the outcome in the balance, Brizuela delivered again. His basket in the closing seconds kept Barcelona in front and left Hapoel with the last opportunity. Micic tried to force overtime with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot missed the rim. That final sequence settled a game in which neither team’s strongest stretch proved enough to make the finish routine.
For Barça, the win extends its positive EuroLeague run and offers a reminder that a commanding lead still needs to be protected possession by possession. The 2-20 third-quarter burst gave the visitors their opening; Brizuela’s late score made sure it counted. Hapoel, meanwhile, came close to rescuing the game through Bryant and Micic, but couldn’t complete the rally. The 93-90 result was decided by the last basket and the final miss.
