Defeat in Athens

Real Madrid fell just short of victory on their visit to the fierce Olympiacos court. Chus Mateo's side produced a solid performance in general, with a strong start to the first and third quarters. The Whites were ahead by as much as 9 points in the second half, but they did not seal the victory and their opponents, mainly because of the second chances Madrid conceded on the rebound, managed to turn the game around in the final quarter. Hezonja was the standout performer for the Madridistas with 15 points. In less than 48 hours, Madrid visit Maccabi (8:05 pm CET).
 
Madrid got off to a solid start in another chapter of this fierce rivalry. Chus Mateo started with Ibaka in place of Tavares to open up the court, and the centre responded with a spectacular first few minutes, scoring two three-pointers (8 points) and collecting 4 rebounds. Along with Deck, he sustained the back-and-forth exchange of baskets with Olympiacos with Fournier and Vezenkov commanding the spotlight (11 of their 17 points). The Greeks hit first with a 6-0 run, but the Madridistas reacted strongly based on solid defence, closing down the rebound and launching counterattacks. The Whites responded with a 0-9 run, spearheaded by Hezonja (5), to finish the first quarter four points up (17-21).
 
Madrid ebb and flow
The Whites carried their impressive display into the middle of the second quarter. They were solid in defence and did not allow the Greeks any second chances, isolating Vezenkov and blocking the team. They also kept moving the ball with fluidity despite the absence of Campazzo due to two personal fouls. The outside shooting was paying off (three-pointers from Llull, Abalde and Ndiaye), and if not, Tavares was finding something positive in the zone. This made the score 27-34. A three-pointer by Musa on a counter-attack might have put the team 10 points up. Nevertheless, it didn't go in and, from that point on, Madrid experienced a scoring slump until half-time. Olympiacos, thanks to the contribution of Peters and Fall, took advantage of this to turn the score around (36-34).
 
Madrid regained momentum after the break. They drew on their basics to recover confidence: defence, control of the rebound and movement. Campazzo controlled the pace of the game with a commanding performance at the helm. For six minutes he delivered 6 assists (7 in the quarter), one of them from behind from three-point range, leaving Deck alone. The small forward was the most consistent performer for Madrid in attack, where Hezonja also had his moment with 5 points in a row, to take a 9-point lead to 46-55 at the 26' mark.
 
Offensive rebounding is decisive
However, the Whites didn't capitalise, and that cost them. The visitors let Olympiacos take too many rebounds at their hoop, up to three in a single play. Fifteen in total, which gave them multiple extra balls. And in attack, they focused on the three-pointers without much success. The hosts did not waste any time and, with Mckissic, Walkup and Vezenkov taking the lead at the beginning of the last period, they did not relinquish it despite Chus Mateo's attempts at a comeback (79-69, min.40).
 
STATISTICS FROM OLYMPIACOS-REAL MADRID