Micic sparked Hapoel’s offense with a transition three-pointer, followed by a layup from Bryant for a 5–0 lead. Clyburn responded with a deep three and a driving layup before countering Oturu’s dunk with a close-range basket. Toko Shengelia’s layup soon gave Barca its first lead at 7–9. Ish Wainwright hit from beyond the arc and Oturu added another dunk to restore Hapoel’s advantage at 12–9. Tomas Satoransky and Punter each knocked down a triple before Micic found space for an uncontested layup. Punter nailed a step-back jumper, which was matched by Johnathan Motley’s powerful finish inside. Collin Malcolm took charge with an alley-oop layup, while Blakeney and Nico Laprovittola added three-pointers. Jones’s layup pushed Hapoel ahead 23–20. Laprovittola kept Barca in rhythm with a three-point play, and Blakeney traded triples with Dario Brizuela to level the score at 26–26 after the first quarter.
Wainwright electrified the crowd with a soaring put-back layup early in the second quarter. Tomer Ginat converted off an inbounds pass to extend Hapoel’s lead to 30–26. Shortly after, Jones capped a 9–0 run with a layup, forcing Barca to call timeout at 35–26. Vesely responded with a tip-in, and Clyburn followed Ginat’s layup with a three-pointer. Vesely then knocked down his signature mid-range jumper, prompting Hapoel to stop the game at 37–33. Antonio Blakeney kept the hosts in rhythm, but Shengelia and a relentless Clyburn brought Barca within striking distance at 40–37. Oturu and Shengelia exchanged baskets, and Malcolm added a paint finish for a 44–39 score. Oturu dominated with a put-back slam, and Bryant nailed a corner three to give Hapoel breathing room at 49–42. Vesely and Joel Parra chipped away at the deficit, bringing Barca within 51–45 at halftime.