Real Madrid pick up their 20th league win on the bounce
BAXI Manresa
FinishedReal Madrid
Our team had already secured first place, and got the better of Baxi Manresa on the road thanks to Llull's last-second basket. Tavares was the standout player with 14 points and a PIR of 15.
Real Madrid came past Manresa to extend their impressive league run with a 20th consecutive win in the competition. Chus Mateo's boys, who clinched the Regular Season top spot against Río Breogán last week, edged past the Catalan outfit thanks to a Llull basket in the final seconds of the clash. Tavares, who made his 600th appearance for our team, was the leading performer with 14 points and a PIR of 15.
The madridistas got underway in positive fashion, as Tavares led them to a 7-0 run early on. With five minutes played, Baxi Manresa were placed on bonus and our boys took advantage from the free-throw line (8-15, min. 8). Hezonja extended the gap further before the conclusion of the opening quarter with a triple and another basket to race to an 11-point lead (10-21).
Our team capitalise on their advantage
In the second quarter, Hezonja was sent to the bench for a technical foul and the hosts managed to cut the deficit with triples for Dani Pérez, Steinbergs and Jou (23-30, min. 16). However, Llull quickly hit back in delightful fashion, with two successive three-pointers of his own to make it +13 (23-36) with two minutes to go. The madridistas maintained their lead to head into the break 26-39.
Another Sterinbergs triple early in the second half brought the gap to below 10 points, before Feliz responded with another 5 (31-45, min. 24). Manresa looked to turn the game around through Alston Jr. (8 points), but our team's solid efforts on the rebound made sure it wasn't to be (41-51). Massa and Jou did take Real Madrid's lead down to 5 points, but Tavares then made it 46-53 on 30’.
Manresa level it up
With Tavares leading the charge again (5 points), the madridistas took the scores to 53-61 four minutes into the final quarter. That's when the Catalan unit stepped it up a gear. Six points for Alston Jr. and 4 for Saint-Supery brought them back to within 4 (59-63, min. 38). Roared on by the home crowd and the desire to clinch a playoff spot, Manresa managed to level the game for the first time with just 22 seconds left on the clock, thanks to Hunt's triple (65-65). Llull chose the perfect time to step up and make it 65-67 right on the buzzer, clinching victory for our boys with just a second left to play.
BAXI MANRESA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS