Hapoel Jerusalem made light work of Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Super League, running out 92-69 winners at the Holon Arena on Saturday evening. The visitors had already looked comfortable from the opening exchanges, and their superiority never really wavered after the first quarter. To be fair, this was the sort of match where momentum shifts early and then settles into a rhythm.
And here's the thing — the difference came from where you'd expect it to. Jerusalem hit 11 three-pointers against Holon's 9, but more importantly they converted 33 of their 62 field-goal attempts while the hosts managed just 24 from the same number of shots. That efficiency gap opened the door and Holon never really found the key.
The rebounding numbers tell the other half of the story. Jerusalem pulled down 42 boards to Holon's 22, with 13 offensive rebounds keeping second chances alive throughout the night. By then the game was already drifting out of reach, but those extra possessions mattered more than anyone expected going in.
We tipped the away side to win at 59 per cent confidence, and the result confirmed that reading. Not that the margin was guaranteed — basketball can swing on a single run — but Jerusalem's control of the glass and their shooting accuracy combined to make the outcome feel inevitable rather than lucky.
The statistics don't lie, though they rarely capture the full picture. Both sides committed similar numbers of fouls — 20 apiece — and turnovers were close at 12 and 14. But those marginal figures mask the reality of a team that simply outworked its opponent on every possession that counted.
Jerusalem move up to third place with 18 wins from 26 games, while Holon drop further back in fifth with 15 victories and 11 defeats. The gap between them is now eight points, and after a performance like that, the visitors will be thinking the distance is growing too quickly for anyone chasing them.
