The Israeli Classico delivered everything fans could ask for—and then some—as Maccabi Tel Aviv edged out Hapoel Jerusalem 112-105 in an overtime thriller at the Pais Arena. But the victory came with a costly price: star guard Lonnie Walker dislocated his finger during the extra period and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

From the opening tip, this was a heavyweight bout. Hapoel Jerusalem came out swinging, with Justin Smith and Jared Harper lighting up the scoreboard early. But Maccabi's Lonnie Walker and Oshae Brissett answered every punch, helping the yellow-and-blue grab a slim 53-52 lead at halftime.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle. Brissett continued to find his rhythm, and Jimmy Clark chipped in with key buckets, but Harper kept draining shots from beyond the arc to give Jerusalem a late lead. Just when it looked like the Reds might steal it, Roman Sorkin—who had been quiet all game—stepped up. His first field goal of the night forced overtime, and he didn't stop there. Sorkin buried a deep three in the extra period, and Clark added clutch points to seal the win.

Walker finished with a game-high 25 points before his injury, Brissett added 22, and Clark contributed 19 for Maccabi. On the losing side, Harper poured in 26 points and Smith added 23 in a valiant effort for Jerusalem.

Maccabi head coach Oded Katash praised the intensity of the contest. "I'm very happy that we won one of these types of games. You saw some great plays by great players with a tremendous amount of quality from both sides. There is also a bit of luck involved. In overtime, we went with more pick-and-roll, where Roman Sorkin was able to make an impact. This was an excellent game played at a very high level in a great competitive league."

Jerusalem's bench boss, Yonatan Alon, focused on the bigger picture. "The end of the game was decided by some terrific individual plays, and that's how games go sometimes in overtime. We are missing Austin Wiley and Yovel Zoosman, so it's hard to judge Jerusalem as is with the team we're playing with now. I hope we can get to the playoffs with home court advantage despite the recent losses."

For Maccabi, the win is a statement—but the next few weeks will test their depth without Walker. For Jerusalem, it's another tough loss in a season of close calls. One thing is certain: when these two rivals meet, basketball fans are always in for a show.