Another perfect week for Real Madrid

Real Madrid continued their impressive run of form after beating Gran Canaria at the WiZink Center in style. The Whites secured their 12th win in the league and a place in the Copa del Rey. Today's clash was a stern test for the league leaders, with their sixth game in two weeks and the strain of the EuroLeague double-header in Athens. But this Madrid team is made of different stuff and, after a spectacular start (14-0 in three minutes and 31-14 in the first quarter) and a show of firepower, they emerged victorious from a game in which they had leads of up to 28 points. Hezonja (19 points and 22 PIR in 22:44 minutes) led six other players in double figures in PIR (Poirier, Musa, Causeur, Abalde, Tavares and Campazzo) and Deck celebrated 300 games in the club's jersey.

The league leaders got off to a blistering start and set the tone right from the word go. A 14-0 run in 3:50 minutes signalled their intentions. They set a breakneck pace in attack, with Campazzo and Causeur assisting, Abalde doing a fantastic job defensively, and Hezonja continuing his incredible form. The small forward, who was the standout performer three days ago in Athens, started just as strongly and racked up 15 points, including two three-pointers and some fine baskets. The ovation from the WiZink faithful was not long in coming. His three-pointer culminated an extraordinary start (31-14, min.10).

Attack is the best form of defence
In the second quarter, Musa (9 points), Poirier (6) and the pairing of Sergio Rodríguez and Llull at the helm pushed the gap to 20 points at 42-22 in the 15th minute. Gran Canaria sought to bounce back and, thanks to the persistence of Happ and the three-pointers from Bassas, managed to match Madrid on the offensive end in the second period (23 points apiece). That was enough for the visitors to keep a foothold in the game, though the madridistas were in control at all times and held a lead of between 13 and 19 points (54-37, min. 20).

Madrid opened up the game after the break. They upped their aggression at the back, stifled Happ and stopped conceding second chances to Gran Canaria. In attack, Campazzo dictated the pace and Causeur, Abalde and Tavares capitalised on this to set the final quarter in motion with a 13-2 run that put us close to a thirty-point lead (67-39, min. 27). The Whites finished the third quarter with 23 assists and Hezonja was distributing play and at almost point per minute (19 in 22).

Team exhibition
Chus Mateo kept rotating the team in the last quarter. Ndiaye scored his first points, which meant that all the players scored today and produced another superb team performance (97-71, min.40). The victory mathematically seals qualification for the next Copa del Rey, which will be played in Malaga. On Thursday, it's another European clash against Bayern Munich at home (8:45pm CET).

REAL MADRID-GRAN CANARIA STATISTICS