Real Madrid-Hiopos Lleida: the leader seeks its 20th victory in the League
Our team faces the second game of the week at the Movistar Arena after the victory against Valencia Basket last Thursday (5:00 pm CEST; Dazn).
Real Madrid hosts Hiopos Lleida in matchday 22 of the Liga Endesa with the goal of achieving its 20th victory in the competition. Just 48 hours after the great triumph in the EuroLeague against Valencia Basket, the leader will aim to assert its strength at the Movistar Arena to continue its positive momentum against an opponent that has lost its last four games.
Scariolo's team comes into this match riding a four-game winning streak following the Copa del Rey. At the Movistar Arena, they have been very strong this season, winning 24 of their 26 games in both the League and EuroLeague. Today will be another test for the leader, who looks to extend its three-win lead over second-placed Valencia Basket, which lost yesterday at La Laguna Tenerife's court. Hiopos Lleida, without the pressure of needing to score at the toughest venue in Europe, will try to reverse the negative streak that has placed them in the lower half of the standings.
In the first leg, Real Madrid won in Lleida by 81-88 with a standout performance from Hezonja (23 PIR) and Maledon (17 PIR). The Catalan team will demand close attention to their interior game. They are strong in rebounding and blocking (the best shot-blocking team in the League alongside ours) with physical and tall players like Ejim, Goloman, and Diagne. The exterior game is led by Batemon, one of the top scorers in the competition (17 points on average), the same as Hezonja. The Croatian leads Madrid's scoring, followed by Campazzo and Lyles (10.7).
Final stretch of March
An important phase for us, especially in the EuroLeague, where we share second place with Olympiacos. In Europe's top competition, Madrid visits Zalgiris next Friday and will host Hapoel Tel Aviv (Tuesday 24) and Anadolu Efes (Thursday 26) the following week in a double matchday. In the League, after today's game, they will visit Barça in a new Clásico (Sunday 22) and Bàsquet Girona (Saturday 28). The team will play six games in 14 days.