Madrid lose after coming very close to a comeback

Real Madrid lost at home to Anadolu Efes in the tenth round of the Euroleague. Our team went 27 points down in a very poor first half in attack. Despite this, they looked for a comeback and came within one point of drawing level, but their opponents were fresher in the last two minutes and managed to win. Campazzo, with 20 points and 24 PIR was the most outstanding player of the team, in which Andrés Feliz returned after his injury.

Efes came out better and more aggressive in their play. They quickly imposed their style against a Madrid side that was very poor at shooting and struggled in the first quarter. The Turkish side, on the other hand, imposed a fluid rhythm in attack with the trio of Thompson, Poirier and Osmani, who scored 15 of their team's 19 points. The 7 rebounds of Tavares and the return of Feliz after 1 month and four days injured were the highlights of Chus Mate‘s team at the start (6-19, min. 10).

Slight improvement
Madrid's lack of success from three-pointers was taking its toll. Although they weren't bad shots, today they just didn't want to go in. It was not until the 15th minute that they were successful from the three-point line. Campazzo was the most clear-sighted of our team in the first half (9 points). It was too much of a burden against an opponent brimming with confidence and who had a big advantage in the paint. In the final stretch of the first half, The Whites managed a small 7-2 run to go into the dressing room with a better feeling (25-47, min. 20).

The outlook changed radically in the second half. Chus Mateo's team came out stronger and determined to get into the game. Campazzo (9 points in the third quarter) and Deck infected our team, who took several steps forward in defence and stopped Anadolu Efes in their tracks. Hezonja was activated and Tavares, despite his three fouls, was huge against Poirier and company in the paint. A 24-11 run in the third quarter allowed them to go into the final quarter with a nine-point deficit (49-58), which could have been less if a convenient three-pointer had gone in.

One point away from a comeback
But the momentum had already shifted. Madrid gave their all. Hezonja continued to take on offensive responsibility and at his side was the captain. Llull appeared and with seven points almost in a row, with which he surpassed 4,000 in the Euroleague, he made it 62-63 with still four minutes to play. They had scored 26 points in 18 minutes (18-45, min. 18). With the game on a knife-edge, two consecutive three-pointers by Anadolu Efes gave them a 7-point lead that proved decisive in the final stretch (64-74, min. 40).

REAL MADRID-ANADOLU EFES STATISTICS