Real Madrid secures second Euroleague win in 48 hours

Real Madrid have had a great week in the Euroleague. The Whites beat first-place Paris Basketball away last Tuesday, and tonight they did the same against Monaco, who came to the WiZink Center leading the competition on game day 17. Chus Mateo's side played another superb game, dominating the first three quarters, where they combined an extraordinary defence with great consistency in attack, to seal the win. Musa, with 22 points and 26 PIR, led a team in which Campazzo (21) and Garuba (17) also stood out. In 48 hours, Madrid have beaten the two most in-form teams in Europe to continue climbing up the table.

Our team played a very complete first quarter at both ends. From the outset, they imposed intensity and energy at the back, with Garuba and Ndiaye as the main exponents, to lower the offensive performance of the leaders, who were trying to do so with Mike James (9 points). From the control of their rebounding they were able to flow in attack, with Musa scoring and generating for the others (7 points and 4 assists). Hezonja (6) and Campazzo (5) seconded the Bosnian in scoring 29 points in 10 minutes (29-22).

Total control
The Whites were transmitting great vibes and a lot of consistency. Garuba continued his commitment and showed his defensive skills. With his turnovers and the wastefulness of Hugo Gonzalez in his pairing with Mike James, Madrid once again held off Monaco's scoring, who were unable to score points in the first five minutes of the second quarter. Time in which Campazzo brought out his magic to regale the WiZink Center with incredible assists such as the one he gave to Hugo González between his legs with his back to the hoop.

A 15-4 run after a triple from Ibaka took the lead to 44-26. The French side also tried to respond from the perimeter and hit some three three-pointers, but Madrid was quick to shut them down, bringing in players such as Abalde, Ibaka and Deck to the cause. The Argentinian closed a great first half for our team with a three-pointer (53-35).

Madrid put the game to bed
Madrid built their game on a very high defensive level (special mention for Ndiaye), putting the third best attack in the Euroleague (87 points on average) in a lot of trouble. The key was the attitude and contribution of each and every player. Several whips from Musa, Campazzo and Feliz allowed the home side to surpass a 30-point lead in the final stretch of the third quarter (76-45).

The visitors made up some ground in the final minutes, but Real Madrid ended up winning by 22 points (94-72), with 41 rebounds, 22 assists and five players in double figures in PIR. The Euroleague will return to the WiZink Center on 3 January. But before that, this Sunday, The Whites play Valencia Basket for the lead in La Liga (6:30pm CET).

REAL MADRID-MONACO STATISTICS