Real Madrid

Real Madrid owned the first three quarters on Thursday night but weren’t able to finish off Maccabi to finish as the top seed in Group F. The 66-64 loss means the Whites next opponent is none other than Regal FC Barcelona, who finished as the top team in Group E by beating Partizan.

Tomic and Garbajosa were paired up in the paint from the get go, forcing Maccabi to rely on perimeter shooting. The outstanding defense fuelled the offense and Real Madrid jumped out to an early 17-10 lead after one quarter of play.

The Whites dictated the tempo throughout the second quarter and picked apart every defense change made by the visitors. Sergio Llull shot lights out and drained three three’s. Los Blancos extended their lead to 26-13 with a 12-0 run and by working the boards and the transition game to perfection. Pablo Prigioni called all the right plays and Ante Tomic stepped up on the offensive glass, and Real Madrid headed into halftime with a ten point advantage, 31-21.

Maccabi relied on Fischer to get back into the game after the break, but Tomic answered back and Prigioni’s three helped the Whites maintain a comfortable lead, 45-36. But it wouldn’t be enough for Real to slam the door shut in the final period of play. Maccabi clawed back and knotted the game up at 55. Despite having the home court advantage, the Madridistas fell by two points, 66-64, thus finishing second in Group F to earn a quarterfinal appearance against Regal FC Barcelona.