Real Madrid take the win in Zaragoza

Real Madrid were too strong for Casademont Zaragoza in their Endesa League matchday five encounter at the Pabellón Príncipe Felipe. Our team came out on top in an evenly matched clash, that was decided in the final quarter. Tavares (16 points without a miss, 8 blocks and a PIR of 27), Deck (13 points and a PIR of 16), Lyles (13 and 11) and Hezonja (10 and 8) all hit double figures for points scored and played a key role in the madridista victory.

The game got underway in intense fashion, with defensive focus high at both ends of the court. Deck (8 points) stepped to the fore to build an advantage for our team, while the hosts looked to take defensive rebounds and personal fouls to reduce the deficit to a minimum in the opening 10 minutes. In the closing stages, Madrid strung together a series of attacks led by Hezonja, Procida and Maledón, to post a run of 1-8 and make it 20-27.

The game continued at a break-neck pace. In the early stages of the second quarter, Real Madrid responded to Casademont Zaragoza's offensive forays with a series of points to keep the difference at plus eight (27-35): a Maledon triple and two-pointers by Llull and Garuba. The opposition were being ably led by Bell-Haynes (12 points) though, and they upped the offensive intensity again to record a 13-3 run. Our boys adjusted their defense and in the final moments, ensured they'd head into the break with a slight lead (45-48). 

Madrid make sure of the result in the final quarter
After the restart, Scariolo's boys rediscovered their defensive solidity, with three successive Tavares blocks, as the center also moved into double digits for points scored (14). Krämer's arrival (8 points) added some offensive depth and took us to +15 in the first 4 minutes, forcing the hosts to call a timeout (45-60). The madridistas dropped off following that dominant spell. allowing the hosts to cut their lead back down to 5 (68-73).

It was all to play for in the final quarter, and it got underway with plenty of end-to-end action. The turning point came when Llull moved on to double digits himself (10 points) and Casademont Zaragoza became sloppy with their shooting. Garuba and Hezonja made no mistake, and with six minutes left on the clock, they took the lead to 12 points (70-82). Madrid then stood firm until the end to take a hard-fought win on the road (83-95).