Unicaja-Real Madrid: Visitors have second chance to make final
Chus Mateo's men are 2-1 up, and this evening they go into the fourth game of the semi-finals with their sights set on a final spot (9.15 pm CEST).
Real Madrid and Unicaja will battle it out tonight in the fourth game of the Liga Endesa semi-finals. The Whites, who were so close to booking their place in the final last Tuesday, will be looking to make it 3-1 at the Martín Carpena to avoid the need to play the fifth game in Madrid.
The Madridistas have a second chance to reach the final. The 2-0 lead at home means they have up to three opportunities. They were unable to take advantage of the first in a third game that saw an unsportsmanlike foul on Musa with 7 tenths of a second remaining in the game give Unicaja an 84-82 victory. Madrid know that they have to keep their focus for the full 40 minutes to emerge victorious from Malaga. Chus Mateo's charges were better in the first two games and in the second half of the last game, where they came back from 19 points down to almost close out the tie.
Madrid have defended Unicaja's perimeter tightly, reducing their three-point percentage to 31%. However, they have allowed their opponents a lot of second options on the offensive rebound, which pays off near the hoop. Once again, controlling turnovers will be crucial to preventing the Andalusians from flowing. This was evident the other day. They went from 9 turnovers in the first half to 0 in the second, which resulted in winning the last two quarters (+4 and +8).
The standout performers
Campazzo (18 in PIR), Musa (13.6) and Hezonja (12.6) have been the Madridistas' standout performers, with five players in double figures in PIR in the three games. For Unicaja, Osetkowski, who did not feature at the Movistar Arena and arrived fresher for the third game, was a differential factor at the Martín Carpena (21 points). In addition, Perry and Carter always pose a threat. Today, Madrid have a second chance to reach the final of the Liga Endesa.