Real Madrid wins in Belgrade and secures first place in the Euroleague Regular Season

 

Real Madrid made sure of finishing the Euroleague Regular Season in first place in a packed and very tough Stark Arena. After a very even first half, Chus Mateo's men broke the game open in the third quarter (23-35) thanks to a display by Hezonja (25 points, 6 rebounds and 33 PIR). Campazzo was also key in the second half with his 12 points and 8 assists in a game in which Tavares also played his 500th game in our jersey.

After securing home-court advantage in the Euroleague playoffs in Berlin 48 hours earlier, Chus Mateo's side had a bigger task ahead of them on one of the toughest courts in Europe. Partizan started better, boosted by their home crowd, but little by little our team began to get into the game with Poirier proving very active under the post (5-6; min. 5). Two minutes later Tavares took over from the Frenchman and played his 500th game for Madrid. Finally, a three-pointer in the last second from Hezonja levelled the tie in a low-scoring quarter (13-13).

Fighting for every ball
Both teams were giving their all on the court and every point was worth its weight in gold. The Serbians, through offensive rebounding and Kaminsky (6 points), punished the Whites' defence in search of a run to open up a gap. However, the Madrid side used their choral play in attack to maintain the balance on the scoreboard (23-22; min. 17). From that point on, things got a little livelier. After an intense exchange of blows between Deck and Nunnally (10 points), our team went into the break ahead (31-33).
Everything changed radically and Partizan upped the intensity of the game thanks to Kaminsky, with 9 points in six minutes, and Avramovic. But up popped a superb Hezonja to deal with the home side's onslaught and give Chus Mateo's team a boost. The Croatian's recital was also joined by the Campazzo-Tavares duo. The Argentinian point guard stepped it up a gear to lead a 0-16 run and break the game open (54-68).

Madrid clinch 25th Euroleague victory
Real Madrid's third quarter surge was key to undermining the home side's morale, especially after Súper Mario's 25-point display. The home side went for the comeback and managed an 8-0 run to take a 74-84 lead with 11 points from Punter (74-84). But Chus Mateo's team didn't lose their nerve and gave their opponents no chance whatsoever. In doing so, they secured their 25th win in the EuroLeague Regular Season, and got through a very tough European double-header away from the WiZink Center with flying colours.

PARTIZÁN-REAL MADRID STATISTICS