Real Madrid-Baskonia: Whites return to Movistar Arena
Scariolo's men are in action on matchday 15 of the EuroLeague after four consecutive away wins (9 pm CET).
Real Madrid are back at the Palacio 20 days after beating Zalgiris and with four consecutive wins under their belt. They do so in a week with two games at the Movistar Arena (on Sunday against Bàsquet Girona, 5 pm CET). Today, they welcome Baskonia on matchday 15 of the EuroLeague, in which they have racked up three consecutive wins and are looking to continue their impressive run of form.
In such a closely contested EuroLeague, with only two wins separating first and tenth place, winning at home is almost an obligation. Madrid are particularly strong in this regard (10 wins in 11 games) and come into the game buoyed by the confidence gained from a significant improvement in their away form (victories over Granada, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Anadolu Efes and La Laguna Tenerife) and their best run of the campaign (6 since the game against Bilbao Basket almost one month ago). Baskonia have won all five of their EuroLeague games at the Buesa Arena but are yet to win away from home.
Both teams come off a demanding league matchday and a similar outcome. Scariolo's men won away at La Laguna Tenerife with a basket by Llull in the final seconds, while Baskonia lost at home to Valencia Basket with another by Taylor. The head-to-head record in this competition is even: 12-11 for Madrid, who have won four of the last five games. In the last meeting at the Movistar Arena, the Whites prevailed 90-89 with 29 in PIR from Campazzo. This season, they have met twice in the league, with Baskonia triumphing 105-100 in Vitoria, despite the Madridistas leading by 20 points at one stage.
Key points
Baskonia are a team with a defined style based on speed and quick transitions (Howard, Luwawu-Cabarrot, Forrest and company). They average 85.1 points, with 20 assists and a 61.7% success rate in two-point shots. Madrid have been at a superb level defensively. In their last three games, they have held Hapoel Tel Aviv to 74 points, Anadolu Efes to 75 and La Laguna Tenerife to 70, their best defensive performance so far this season. In contrast, Baskonia have conceded almost 90 points. This is something that Scariolo's side will need to capitalise on with their multiple offensive resources. One of them, Hezonja, has averaged 19.3 points in the three most recent victories.