Madrid overcomes Alba Berlin with a great offensive performance

Real Madrid head into this weekend's international break off the back of another EuroLeague victory - their fifth so far at the WiZink Center - this time over Alba Berlin thanks to a blistering display of offensive firepower. Chus Mateo's boys matched their best points haul of the season in the competition, posting 98, 79 of which came in the opening 30 minutes. Ultimately, though, it was a solid defense that made sure of the win in the third quarter, after the opposition had stayed in the game until half-time thanks to some impressive three-point shooting. It was a strong team performance, with 5 guys in double digits for points and 6 on PIR, led by Campazzo (12 points, 10 assists and 25) and Ibaka (15 and 19). Rathan-Mayes and Musa also looked good, the latter on his return from injury.

The visitors remained true to their end-to-end style based around short possessions (Procida, 6 points) to make life hard for Madrid, who looked for offensive options around the perimeter early on (12-16, min. 6). When they managed to find their centers and assert their superiority in the paint (Tavares, 4 points and 3 rebounds) they raced to a 10-0 run, coinciding with Musa's return to the court following a 7-match injury absence. With 7 points, Hezonja top-scored for our boys in a tight opening quarter (23-22).

All-out attack 
The game continued to be played around the visitors' hoop, perhaps even more so in the second period. The Germans, led by former academy player Samar (5 assists), grew into the game and took an 11-point lead halfway through quarter two (26-37, min. 14). Abalde's arrival proved crucial to taking back the offensive initiative, his two consecutive triples breathing new life into our team. Campazzo and Ibaka stepped it up a level (6 points & 7 assists, and 9 & 2 rebounds respectively), before Abalde's third three-pointer edged Madrid back in front with a run of 19-6. Defense was none-existent at either end, with the two teams exchanging basket after basket to total 65 points in the quarter (55-55, min. 20).

Madrid tightened things up at the back as the second half got underway. They increased their aggression and began to overwhelm the team from Berlin, whose shooting from distance dried up, leading to zero points in five minutes. Two steals followed by counter-attacks reflected the determination of Chus Mateo's outfit to take the game away from the opposition now. Rathan-Mayes showed off his tremendous point-scoring prowess, netting a further eight, two triples, for a total of 16. Tavares laid on the assists (4) and Campazzo ended the third period on a double-double and a PIR of 25 (12 points & 10 assists). A 21-6 run launched Madrid beyond a 10-point lead (79-68, min. 30).

Top scoring for the win
Not even a 7-match break is enough to stifle Musa's offensive qualities. The Bosnian ace, who got injured against Olympiacos almost a month ago, finished the game off with 8 points almost consecutively at the start of the final quarter (10 in 7 minutes), to take the advantage to +17.  With the result already in the bag, Madrid went on to equal the 98 points they managed against Virtus Bologna, their best attacking figures in this season's EuroLeague (98-84, min. 40).