Madrid win in Vitoria to seal Copa del Rey place

Real Madrid picked up a big win on their tough trip to face Baskonia on matchday 15 in the League, and in the process made mathematically certain of a place at the Copa del Rey in Gran Canaria 2025. Chus Mateo’s boys built up a ten-point lead in a strong opening quarter, before holding out well as the opposition looked to hit back. Our team continue their fine run with a seventh win in eight games, as Musa enjoyed a Kings Day to remember with his first-half exhibition (29 points, 5 /5 in triples, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 38). Campazzo (17 and 23) and Hezonja (14) were other top performers.

The madridistas flew out the blocks at the Buesa Arena. Disciplined at the back and attacking Baskonia's paint, as Abalde and Tavares asserted their dominance against Howard and Hall, they raced to a 9-2 run in the opening three minutes. They were then able to manage their lead for the remainder of the first period, despite conceding offensive rebounds against the Vitoria outfit, who looked strong from the perimeter. Impressive shooting from three (5/6) and some beautiful offensive play spearheaded by 11 points for Musa made it 18-28 (min.10).

Madrid lead from the front
Baskonia improved their numbers as their reinforcements took to the court. Luwawu-Cabarrot and Samanic offered their team a greater offensive presence and they wrested the initiative from the visitors in the following minutes. Madrid looked nervous at the back and quickly racked up the fouls, while they stepped off in offense too as the game moved level halfway through the second quarter. At 28-30, Campazzo, Musa and Llull returned some stability to the team and delivered added aggression at the back to stop the home team in their tracks and retake control. The Bosnian ace totalled 18 points at half-time, with just one missed shot and a PIR of 27. Following a 9-17 run in their favour, Madrid closed out the first half +8 (39-47, min.20).

The game was there for the taking for Real Madrid. Whenever they tightened up on turnovers, the scoreboard shot up.  Musa was a delight to behold, six more points for him alongside five for Campazzo put the visitors 14 up. Baskonia held onto the game with some slick counter-attacking play and a 13-4 run towards the end of quarter three meant it was all to play for in the final period (56-63, min.30).

Reaction at the death
Madrid would have to hold off a Baskonia unit that was doing all it could to turn the game around in the final quarter. Samanic and Baldwin drove their team on, while Garuba came to the fore with 6 crucial points to mitigate the hosts' scoring. The Vitoria team moved to 72-76 with just five minutes left to play, while Madrid bonus fouls against them.

Our boys weren't about to let all their good work go to waste though, and they really stepped it up in defense. Two big plays (a Tavares block and Campazzo steal), Campazzo's brilliance in offense with two key baskets, some Musa free-throws to put the gloss on a sublime display, and a stunning Hezonja three with 22 seconds on the clock were enough to see out a well-deserved 82-89 win.

BASKONIA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS