Real Madrid kicked off their Euroleague quarterfinal series in style, edging past Hapoel Tel Aviv 86-82 in a thrilling Game 1 at home. The best-of-five clash saw Los Blancos take an early command, thanks to a red-hot Facundo Campazzo who orchestrated the offense with precision and flair.

From the opening tip, the Spanish giants looked unstoppable. Campazzo, alongside Trey Lyles, Mario Hezonja, and Gabriel Deck, powered Real to a double-digit lead that left Hapoel scrambling. Antonio Blakeney and Dan Oturu fought hard to keep the visitors within striking distance, but without Elijah Bryant—who exited early due to injury—the Reds trailed 48-33 at halftime.

Real Madrid maintained their composure through the third quarter, seemingly cruising to victory. But Hapoel Tel Aviv had other plans. Late in the game, Ish Wainright and Blakeney ignited a furious comeback with clutch three-pointers, trimming the deficit to just four points and sending a jolt through the arena.

However, the pressure proved too much for the Reds down the stretch. A series of missed opportunities to tie the game sealed their fate, leaving them to rue what might have been in Madrid.

Campazzo led all scorers for Real with 21 points, while Lyles added 13 and Hezonja chipped in 11. For Hapoel, Blakeney poured in 25 points, Oturu dominated the paint with 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Vasilije Micic contributed 15 points in the losing effort.

After the game, Hapoel coach Dimitris Itoudis reflected on the narrow loss: "I congratulate Real Madrid on their first win. Our main problem was the first quarter, where we allowed 27 points—that hurt us going forward. We tried to stop their fast transition game, but their control of offensive rebounds ultimately decided the outcome. I'm proud of the players for how we competed and won the second half."

In other local action, Maccabi Tel Aviv rallied past Elitzur Netanya 102-92. Jimmy Clark and Jaylen Hoard sparked a late-game comeback for the yellow-and-blue, overcoming a strong start from Netanya's Maurice Kemp, Cameron Oliver, and Otis Frazier. Clark and Hoard's relentless scoring in the final frame proved decisive, as Maccabi held on for a hard-fought win.