La Laguna Tenerife-Real Madrid: time to even the series

Real Madrid faces the second game of the quarterfinal playoff of the Liga Endesa tonight. With a 0-1 deficit following La Laguna Tenerife's victory on Tuesday at the Movistar Arena (97-98) in a best-of-three series, our team is compelled to secure a win at the Santiago Martín to return to Madrid on Saturday. They have achieved this in their last 12 visits.

Scariolo's team will need to come from behind in the series if they want to reach the semifinals. Madrid did many things well in the first game but let a 7-point advantage slip away in the final minute. Defense and minimizing Tenerife's perimeter shooting will be key. The madridista dominance in the paint, where they scored 66 out of 97 points, was evident. However, the 10 additional three-pointers made by the visitors tipped the game in their favor. 

The streak in Tenerife
The Santiago Martín is one of the toughest arenas in the ACB, but that hasn't impacted Madrid. They have won in their last 12 visits there, a streak that began in the 2016/17 season and was maintained by Llull, with a buzzer-beater, during the ninth round of the league (70-71). The last time Madrid started a quarterfinal series with a loss, they came back to win. That was in the 2009/10 season against Cajasol. Tonight, Scariolo's team aims to repeat that feat by forcing a third and decisive game.

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.