Real Madrid-Baskonia: last game of the Euroleague Regular Season at the WiZink Center
The leaders go in search of their 27th win to extend their all-time record (8:30pm CEST).
Real Madrid host Baskonia in the penultimate game of the Euroleague Regular Season. Chus Mateo's side, with first place and home-court advantage assured, will be looking for another win at the WiZink Center to improve on the record set last week. They will also be looking to equal their best home record, which is the 15 wins achieved in the 2021/22 season.
A very demanding week for the Madrid side. In less than 48 hours they face Baskonia and Barcelona in the league Clásico (Sunday, 6:30pm CEST). The leaders face the last two games with their homework already done (we finish on the court of Zalgiris), something that no other team can say. Baskonia, ninth in the standings and with the same number of wins as losses (16), is playing for vital points and is almost obliged to win to stay in the play-in position. The team from Vitoria could be a possible rival in the playoffs, which start on 23 April.
Key players
Chus Mateo's team have four straight wins in the Euroleague, while Baskonia have three consecutive defeats and have not won away since 18 January at Red Star. There are few secrets between the two teams. Ivanovic's team has a lot of offensive power, with Howard as their main point guard, and their scoring spurts are their biggest threat. The physicality of Miller-Mcintyre at point guard and the inside versatility of Moneke, Costello and Kotsar are their other strengths. We have them too however. One of them is Yabusele's form. The Frenchman, who was already the best in the first round victory in Vitoria with 18 points and 8 rebounds, averages 21.7 PIR in the last four Madrid wins in the competition. Another is Musa. The forward goes into the game having scored 30 points against Red Star, making him the only Real Madrid player to surpass 1,000 points in the Euroleague in his first two seasons.
A historic Regular Season
The 26 wins in 32 games illustrate the sheer magnitude of the season Chus Mateo's team is having. They set the best first round in history (16-1) and last week set the record for wins in a Regular Season (26). But Madrid are just two wins away from equalling in one edition, including playoffs and Final Four, those achieved last year when they won the Undécima. This season, we have won both games against Baskonia (77-79 in the Euroleague and 85-99 in LaLiga).