Real Madrid triumph in the first game of the League final

Real Madrid overcame Valencia Basket in the first game of the Endesa League final. Chus Mateo's side continue adding to their winning streak at home in this competition (30 straight wins). It was a hard-fought victory in a game that started evenly, but the Madridistas turned it in their favour in the second half with a superb team performance. Feliz, with 18 points and a PIR of 22, and Tavares (14 points and a PIR of 15) were the standout players for our team.
Valencia started the game very accurately from the three-point line in the opening minutes (3/3). From there, Madrid were solid in the rebound and managed an 11-0 run to turn the score around with Tavares on target (6 points). Llull’s entrance (4 points), in doing so becoming the player with the most League finals played in (14), capped off a good end to the first quarter in which our team finished with a four-point lead (19-15).
Feliz stood out at the start of the second quarter for his ability to break through, scoring 5 points and grabbing 1 rebound. The defensive solidity of both teams resulted in very few shots from the perimeter. Tavares was strong in the paint and put Real Madrid five points ahead, but Jones and Costello were on hand to close the gap and leave the scoreboard showing a three-point lead at half-time in our team’s favour (35-32).
Madrid dominance in the second half
After an early three-pointer from Campazzo at the start of the third quarter, Valencia managed to regain the lead. Two consecutive three-pointers from Ojeleye and Badio, the scorer of 15 points in this period, started a 9-0 run, putting the team from Fonteta three points ahead (38-41). Musa’s accuracy, who came on to freshen up the game, and an inspired Feliz, put Madrid ahead on the scoreboard to contest the final minutes with a 4-point lead (64-60).
The same dynamic continued at the start of the final quarter. The Madridistas opened up their biggest lead of the game (17 points), with Musa and Feliz once again to the fore. Bruno Fernando also had a good spell, scoring 6 points as soon as he came off the bench. Our team maintained their intensity in the home straight and Campazzo sealed the win with a key performance in the closing stages of the game. Real Madrid won the first round, another home victory, and took a 1-0 lead in the final playoff series.
REAL MADRID-VALENCIA BASKET STATISTICS