Hapoel Jerusalem will look to continue its momentum after an impressive Group J opening win when it hosts Galatasaray Cafe Crown on Tuesday in the Israeli capital. Pooh Jeter, Sharon Shason and Tre Simmons ignited a 0-16 run to start the fourth-quarter as Jerusalem came from behind to become the first team to win a Eurocup game in Valencia. Meanwhile Galatasaray suffered a 79-85 loss at home against Unics Kazan despite typically strong nights from its fearsome foursome – Simas Jasaitis, Mike Wilkinson, Rado Rancik and Darius Washington – who combined for 73 of Gala’s 79 points. This game will come down to how Hapoel’s depth stacks up against Galatasaray’s stars. The point guard duel will pit Jeter against Wahsington, though Hapoel has the added advantage of using Yuval Naimy and even Yogev Ohayon to wear Washington down. Simmons faces Gala’s other starter, Evren Buker as well as Can Akin at shooting guard. Jasaitis will look to outshoot Dijon Thompson at small forward, with Shason – a former teammate of Jasaitis at Maccabi – able to lift Hapoel with his clutch shooting off the bench. In the paint, the tandem of Wilkinson and Rancik will match up against Brandon Hunter, Kevinn Pinkney, Leo Lyons and Uri Kokia. Galatasaray (86.3 ppg.) and Hapoel (83.1 ppg.) are the two highest-scoring teams in the Eurocup this season and this game should be another fun-to-watch affair for the fans on hand. The keys for the hosts could be Jeter (who ranks in the top 10 in the Eurocup in fouls drawn per game) and Hunter (top 5 in fouls drawn per minute). If they are able to put any of the Galatasaray stars in foul trouble, the advantage shifts to the hosts. If not, the visitors will look to sting Hapoel for an important road win that will have a major impact on the battle for the quarterfinals from Group J.
REFEREES: Christos Christodoulou, Andrej Lovsin, Dragan Neskovic