Real Madrid

Real Madrid raised the curtain on the new season with a visit to Unicaja Malaga, the same team who knocked the Whites out of the playoffs last year. The visitors kept it close until the final quarter, when the team with the preseason's best record pulled away and sent Madrid packing.

A solid Unicaja squad dominated both ends of the floor in the first quarter will fast transition offense and suffocating zone defense. A 6-0 run put the hosts up 9-4, a lead which would continue to increase throughout the first ten minutes of play. Omar Cook dictated the tempo and will be a force to be reckoned with over the course of the season.

Germán Gabriel put Unicaja up by 13 (24-11, min. 9:30), but Louis Bullock knocked down a three, grabbed a defensive board and hit two free throws in the final 30 seconds of the first to pull Madrid to within eight, 24-16.

The Whites improved in the second and Hosley came out of his shell for a tremendous alley-oop. Despite keeping it close for most of the period, Real Madrid couldn't handle Marcus Haislip. who single-handedly extended the lead to 46-35.

Slow out of the starting blocks in the first half, team captain Felipe Reyes scored three straight baskets to bring the visitors within five (50-45, min. 25). The Whites held Unicaja to seven points in seven minutes and created another seven turnovers, but it simply wasn't enough to spark a comeback (46-35, min. 30).

Real Madrid was stymied in the fourth quarter and Unicaja capitalized on mistakes (70 - 57). Minutes ticked off the game clock and Carlos Cabezas and the defense took over. With two to play, a 2+1 by Gomis and a score from downtown by Kelati sealed the deal, and Madrid fell in their season opener, 82-65.