79-67: Victory over Bayern thanks to a great defensive display
Chus Mateo's boys are now tied with Olympiacos on 23 wins and will contest the top spot on the final matchday.
The battle for the lead in the Euroleague regular season is tightening. Real Madrid go into the final game against Maccabi with a chance of finishing first after their win against Bayern Munich at the WiZink Center and Olympiacos' defeat at Red Star, which leaves Chus Mateo's team level on 23 wins with the Greek side at the top of the table Barcelona have one win and one game in hand. It was after the break, with a great defensive third quarter, and our success in three pointers 14/29, that we clinched the victory against a tough German side. Hezonja was the best striker with 20 points, and Yabusele claimed 18 index rating points, both players making their mark on the game. With this result, Madrid have now matched their most successful regular season, which was the 2016/17 campaign.
Knowing that Olympiacos had lost in Belgrade meant that we couldn't fail. Madrid loaded Bayern with fouls and their three-point shooting kept them ahead in the early stages of the game. The introduction of Sergio Rodríguez gave the team more offensive fluidity. In addition, Musa began to come into his own and launched our team into a 9-2 run to turn the score around to end up winning the opening quarter 19-13.
Madrid stay on top
With Poirier out at the last moment, after undergoing appendicitis surgery, Randolph would make a reappearance in the Euroleague. The American power forward was the team's offensive bastion at the start of the second quarter. However, the Germans put up a fight by improving on the offensive rebound as well as maintaining their success from the perimeter 8 three-pointers, with Cheatham and Obst standing out. With Bayern pressing, Chus Mateo's team found in the inspiration of Hanga 9 points, Hezonja 8 and Yabusele 7 the perfect antidote with which to counter the rival's pressure 40-36, min.20.
Knowing that Olympiacos had lost in Belgrade meant that we couldn't fail. Madrid loaded Bayern with fouls and their three-point shooting kept them ahead in the early stages of the game. The introduction of Sergio Rodríguez gave the team more offensive fluidity. In addition, Musa began to come into his own and launched our team into a 9-2 run to turn the score around to end up winning the opening quarter 19-13.
Madrid stay on top
With Poirier out at the last moment, after undergoing appendicitis surgery, Randolph would make a reappearance in the Euroleague. The American power forward was the team's offensive bastion at the start of the second quarter. However, the Germans put up a fight by improving on the offensive rebound as well as maintaining their success from the perimeter 8 three-pointers, with Cheatham and Obst standing out. With Bayern pressing, Chus Mateo's team found in the inspiration of Hanga 9 points, Hezonja 8 and Yabusele 7 the perfect antidote with which to counter the rival's pressure 40-36, min.20.
The game descended into a defensive battle and both teams struggled to score regularly after the break. Madrid knew how to handle the pressure however and put their defensive prowess on display. They kept the rebounds at their own hoop to a minimum, leaving Bayern with very few options, so much so that they were only able to score eight points in the third quarter. Tavares became an impenetrable barrier at the back and Yabusele contributed all over the court. Offensively, we were shooting very well from long range four three-pointers in this period and when we found balance with our inside output, the lead ballooned to 14 points 56-42, min.28.
Madrid puts the game to bed
There would be no more surprises for Madrid. The Whites kept on top of the gap at all times and would even increase it to 16 points in the final quarter. The ball was played forward out of defence in a brilliant collective effort. Bayern were left very few options by this point. If it wasn't Sergio Rodríguez, it was Cornelie or Hezonja. The Croatian helped close the game with three pointers 5/10. Five players would also end up in double digits in the index ratings in a win that guarantees us at least the third spot in the playoffs 79-67.
REAL MADRID-BAYERN STATISTICS
Madrid puts the game to bed
There would be no more surprises for Madrid. The Whites kept on top of the gap at all times and would even increase it to 16 points in the final quarter. The ball was played forward out of defence in a brilliant collective effort. Bayern were left very few options by this point. If it wasn't Sergio Rodríguez, it was Cornelie or Hezonja. The Croatian helped close the game with three pointers 5/10. Five players would also end up in double digits in the index ratings in a win that guarantees us at least the third spot in the playoffs 79-67.
REAL MADRID-BAYERN STATISTICS