Real Madrid take a 2-0 lead against Unicaja and are one win away from the final

Real Madrid took a giant step towards reaching the Liga Endesa final after beating Unicaja again in the second semi-final at the Movistar Arena. The series now stands at 2-0 - a result that no team has ever come back from - and the team has now won 29 consecutive games at home. Chus Mateo's men gave a very solid performance during the first three quarters to take an 18-point lead, which they defended with everything they had in the final stretch against the visitors' reaction. Campazzo (18 points and a PIR of 19), Hezonja (18) and Llull (15 and 19) were the standout performers, with Garuba really stepping up in the last quarter.

A very aggressive Unicaja took the initiative for much of the first quarter. Their fierce defence, accuracy near the basket and control of the rebound gave them some small advantages with Perry and Djedovic leading the attack (5 points each). Madrid understood that everything depended on defence and matched their opponents' intensity. Hezonja, with his two three-pointers, broke the deadlock for Madrid's attack. But it was with Llull's entrance in the 7th minute that the team changed the game's dynamic. The captain scored 8 consecutive points, including one of his trademark three-pointers on the buzzer, to turn the score around (23-19, min. 10).

Madrid stay on top
The extremely high physical level did not drop even a fraction in a second quarter that saw the teams trading baskets. Real Madrid withstood Unicaja's forays, centred around offensive rebounding and the trio of Carter, Taylor and Pérez, and responded to every surge. They did so by forcing the Malaga side into nine turnovers in this period, showing confidence from the free throw line and with scoring spread across the team, with Feliz, Abalde and Tavares the standouts. They had an eight-point lead in the 18th minute, which was cut to five at half-time (46-41).

Our team started the second half with a spectacular 14-3 run in 4 minutes, combining defence, counterattacks and accuracy from outside. Three-pointers from Campazzo, Abalde and Hezonja gave them a 20-point lead at 63-44. The game seemed to be over, but a reaction from Unicaja in the final stretch of the quarter kept it alive (67-58, min. 30). And very much alive, because our team got complacent and let their concentration slip slightly, allowing Unicaja to gradually reduce the deficit and put themselves back into contention for the win (72-68, min. 35).

Campazzo and Garuba lead the Madrid charge
The visitors had reversed the momentum. However, Madrid was able to get back on trackether, rely on the invincibility of the Movistar Arena and come back in style with an 18-7 run led by Campazzo, who made two decisive plays: a three-pointer with a foul with two minutes to go and another three-pointer with 19 seconds left. Special mention for Garuba. The youth player, with a gap from the last game, gave his all in defence and on the rebound, being a key player in Madrid's response. Real Madrid have three chances to reach the final. The first is this Sunday at the Martín Carpena (5pm CEST).

REAL MADRID-UNICAJA STATISTICS