Dubai Basketball-Real Madrid: first-ever visit in the EuroLeague
Our team plays for the first time at the Dubai court in Round 27 of the competition (5:00 pm; #Vamos).
Real Madrid will play this evening for the first time at the Dubai Basketball's home court. A historic matchup in a venue with the only previous encounter being the victory in the first leg by Scariolo's squad, who are seeking their 17th win in the EuroLeague to remain in playoff positions.
Coming straight from Athens, our team will complete a journey of 11,350 kilometers in 5 days. The madridistas aim to turn around their away form. They need to secure points to stay at the top, where they are currently part of a group of 7 teams with 16 wins. Last Tuesday, Madrid narrowly lost against Panathinaikos in a game influenced by officiating decisions, as noted by Scariolo: “We didn't know we would have to endure a poor performance by three very good referees.”
Today presents another challenging test away from home. Nine of Dubai Basketball's 12 victories have been on their home court. In the last round, they defeated Olympiacos in overtime (108-98). They are three wins away from the play-in and aim to avoid losing ground. It is a team with a good balance between the perimeter players (Wright IV, Avramovic, Bacon, Anderson, and former madridistas Musa and Prepelic) and the interior players (Kabengele and Petrusev, who are the team's highest-rated, Bertans, Caboclo…).
Defense and the interior game
The battle in the paint could be one of the keys to the game at the Coca-Cola Arena. Madrid boasts strong depth with Tavares, Garuba, Lyles, and Len. The Ukrainian center is coming off his best performance against Panathinaikos, scoring 18 points with a rating of 27, and serves as a reliable option in the five position. Defense will also be a crucial factor, as evidenced in the first-leg game at the Movistar Arena. Our team won 107-93, with an outstanding second half in which they achieved a 63-35 run thanks to their defensive level. This evening, we aim to start our journey in Dubai with a victory.
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.