Leaders finish the Regular League unbeaten at home

Real Madrid started the penultimate round of the league with a dual challenge ahead of them: to complete, at home, a perfect run of reverse fixtures and to equal their best-ever winning streak of 26 wins in front of their fans. And with the win against Coviran Granada at the Movistar Arena. They achieved both objectives with their twenty-first victory in a row since last December, after a game in which they took a 15-point lead in the first quarter and then managed solidly until the end. Tavares (11 points, 10 rebounds and 22 PIR), Hezonja (19 and 17 PIR) and Hugo González (13 and 15) led the team.

The leaders were dominant from the off, taking both a 7-0 lead and also the initiative, with Madrid legend Luka Doncic in attendance in the front row, accompanied by President Florentino Pérez. Hezonja, with 6 points, and Tavares, with 5 (the Cape Verdean had received the award for best defender in the league in the run-up to the game), were the standout scorers in a first quarter in which they doubled Coviran Granada's lead (18-9).

Madrid manage a comfortable lead
With some excellent minutes from Hugo Gonzalez (7 almost consecutive points), Madrid increased the difference to +15, at 33-18, midway through the second quarter. The Granadans responded with a 9-1 run in their favour at a time when Chus Mateo's team allowed them more freedom to get into the zone. Noua, with 10 points, held his team together and brought the scoreboard to 36-27 at half-time.

Playing for their survival, Coviran Granada did not allow Madrid to relax. When they did, in particular on two occasions during the third quarter, they got back on the scoreboard. But in both cases, our team reacted quickly to re-establish an advantage of around 10 points; but rather than the points difference, it was more a feeling of Madrid's dominance. First, it was Hezonja who got the team going, and then, between Llull and Tavares, they neutralised the second Granadian outburst (57-50, min.30).

The Hezonja-Hugo González-Tavares trio: decisive
The game remained in the balance for half of the final quarter, with a game that could be finished off comfortably or would require hard work until the end. Madrid's strong defence was what stopped the visitors' closing the gap. And the team showed patience when it came to delivering the knockout blow after 35 minutes. Two three-pointers in a row, from Hezonja and Hugo González (he finished with a PIR of 15 points in his best performance in our jersey) and the presence of Tavares, who was already approaching a double-double in points and rebounds, put an end a decent Coviran Granada's hopes and sealed a victory in which Real Madrid were better from start to finish (79-67, min.40).

REAL MADRID-COVIRAN GRANADA STATISTICS