Victory ahead of EuroLeague playoff

Real Madrid picked up a big win away at Casademont Zaragoza in their penultimate league clash just two days before the start of the EuroLeague playoff with Baskonia (Tuesday 23, 9:00pm CEST). Our team grew into the game in the first half, before really pulling award in the third quarter. Deck, with 15 points in 11 minutes, topped four players in double digits for PIR (Campazzo, Musa and Tavares). Chus Mateo's boys made it 25 wins to move back to the top of the table ahead of Unicaja's clash with Baskonia this evening.

It was always going to be a tough game at a venue where three of the top four have come away empty handed. That was clear in the early stages. Madrid started slowly, with four turnovers in four minutes that saw them trailing 11-7 against a Casademont Zaragoza who punished a shabby defense (Yusta, 5 points). It was an improvement at the back and some fine work on the offensive rebound (6) that saw the team slowly start to find their rhythm. Campazzo, coming back after two games out (4 points and 3 rebounds), and Tavares (2 and 5), helped our boys into the lead at the end of the opening period, 17-20.

The madridistas take control
Without ever quite finding their groove up top, it was the defensive solidity, forcing various turnovers from the opposition, that allowed Madrid to take the initiative, stretching their lead to +11 at the break (26-37). They conceded just 7 points, to 17 scored, thanks to a 4-16 run as the second round of players began to contribute. Llull (6) and Abalde (5) led the team's best offensive spell, with Poirier standing strong on the rebound (4).

The only one of the 12 madridistas yet to score burst onto the scene in the third quarter. Deck posted two triples to race to eight points without a miss inside three minutes. This run, alongside a faultless defense, was enough to withstand the hosts' counter-attack and allow our team to take the scores to 30-47. They managed their advantage well, even adding to it (up to 20 points) thanks to the unplayable Argentine forward who posted 15 points in the quarter. His 100% shooting in 11 minutes, alongside an effective triple, ably assisted by Yabusele and Musa, meant a strong finish to the quarter (45-63, min. 30).

Convincing victory
The hosts did their best to get back into the game, upping the pace and looking to break the madridista dominance. They began to find the basket with a consistency that had so far deserted them (largely due to Madrid's defensive efforts), as Watt, Sulejmanovic and Kravic stepped it up in the paint. But Chus Mateo's team responded swiftly, with Rudy's triples (before he came off with an ankle injury), as well as a few by Hezonja, added to Tavares and Poirier's superiority in the paint. With four minutes left on the clock, our boys were 20 points up and the game was all but over. Casademont Zaragoza did fight back, taking the final score to 70-79, but ultimately it was a solid result ahead of the EuroLeague playoff in two days' time.