Hapoel Tel Aviv — Bayern Munich: 84:86, Euroleague

Bavaria took a narrow 86-84 victory over Hapoel Tel-Aviv in EuroLeague action on 24 September. The visitors held on despite a spirited home performance from the hosts.

And here's the thing — Hapoel were right there with Bayern for stretches. The hosts shot 70% from the field compared to 48% for the visitors, but the difference came at the line where Bayern converted 89% of free throws against 68% for Hapoel. By then the game was already slipping.

Bayern moved the ball better with 20 assists to 13 for the hosts. Hapoel pulled down 32 rebounds against 29 for Bayern, but the visitors made more of their opportunities with 9 successful three-pointers to 7.

The statistics tell a particular story. Hapoel's dominance inside — 4 blocks against 1 for Bayern, 10 offensive rebounds — wasn't enough. Bayern's 10 steals compared to 7 for Hapoel kept the visitors in the game when it mattered.

What this means in the table is clear. Hapoel sit 6th with 23 wins from 38 games, while Bayern are 13th with 17 victories. The gap between them remains, though they're closing in on each other as the season winds down.