An unstoppable Madrid earns 19th straight win

Real Madrid's hunger to make history continues unabated. Against Monaco they added their 19th consecutive win this season to equal, with a record of 8-0, their second best start in the Euroleague, that of the 2018/19 season. With another clinical game and in another display of their strength as a team, the madridistas gave last year's semi-finalists no chance, leading by as many as 30 points in the third quarter. Musa 21 points and 29 PIR, Tavares 12 without a miss, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 24 and Poirier 12, 11 and 22 were the most outstanding players. We close the double-header with a full house of victories after Tuesday's win at La Fonteta.
 
Chus Mateo asked for energy to face another physically demanding match. And the team did just that. From the outset, Monaco tried to break Madrid's attacking rhythm. They held out for three minutes because our players came out with their batteries recharged from last Tuesday and everyone knew their role. The team put in a spectacular collective performance. In defence, Causeur kept James to a minimum and Tavares dominated in the paint 8 points without a miss, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It was on him that Madrid's run was built. He controlled the rebounding and the running. Musa, who was also outstanding on the defensive end, unleashed his full arsenal of penetrations and three-pointers 14 points and 18 PIR to spark a 22-4 run midway through the first quarter that put us up by 30 points 30-20.

Llull sets the pace
The visitors had lived off their four three-pointers to stay in the game and were still hanging on. But Madrid allowed no let-up. The Sergio Rodríguez-Poirier combination worked with back-to-back alley-oops, but it was Llull who really broke the game open. The day after his 36th birthday, he celebrated by hitting three consecutive three-pointers, knocking the cobwebs off the WiZink Center ceiling and bringing the fans to their feet. The captain's performance was incredible. Earlier, Yabusele had scored another in an 18-6 run that pushed the lead to +22 48-26, min.16. Tavares' third foul gave Monaco some breathing space and they took advantage with Motiejunas inside to hold on 53-39.
 
Madrid put the game to bed
Two Monaco three-pointers immediately after coming out of the dressing room gave the impression that they were still in the game. But Madrid made sure it was only a passing phase by responding firmly and forcefully. Campazzo made sure of that, beating Tarpey for 8 points in a row. Tavares continued to dominate his zone and spread the play in Monaco's zone. Meanwhile, the team was scoring freely and putting on a show 24 assists. Causeur, who was brilliant in defence, added to the attack. So did Musa and Llull, and by the end of the third quarter Madrid were up by 30 points 80-50. After their most complete first 30 minutes of the season, Madrid took their foot off the gas and their opponents closed the gap. Five Madrid players scored in double figures and PIR and Poirier picked up a double-double. Madrid and the WiZink Center enjoyed another great European night 91-73, min.40.
 
REAL MADRID-MÓNACO STATISTICS