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Madrid fall to defeat in Belgrade

90

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75

Crvena Zvezda Meridi...

Finished

Real Madrid

Scariolo's men were unable to secure victory on their visit to Crvena Zvezda.

Madrid fall to defeat in Belgrade
MATCH REPORT.Pablo CaycedoPhotographer: Sara Gordon (Belgrado)

Real Madrid fell to defeat in Belgrade against Crvena Zvezda in their Euroleague matchday five fixture. Our team had a good first quarter in one of the toughest venues in European basketball. Okeke had an outstanding performance (16 points, 8 rebounds and a PIR of 25), but a lack of accuracy in shooting and the pace set by the opposition in the later quarters tipped the game in the Serbian side's favour.

Led by Maledon (3/3 in two-pointers), Deck and Feliz, Madrid went on a 9-13 run in the first five minutes. Okeke's entry helped to extend the lead on the scoreboard; the power forward scored two three-pointers, a double and grabbed five rebounds (four offensive and one defensive). The home side tried to close the gap, but Scariolo's men were solid in defence and accurate in attack. The early momentum gave them a 5-point lead at the end of the period (20-25).

The dynamic did not change in the early stages of the second quarter. Hezonja and Maledon took advantage of their opponents' physical play to draw personal fouls and extend the lead to 11 points (20-31). However, the game's tempo upped, despite the lack of accuracy in shooting from both teams. Nwora (7 points) and Kalinic (5 points) managed to grab offensive rebounds to turn the score around (40-37). Crvena Zvezda wanted to impose their rhythm. Okeke came to the fore again to reduce the deficit to one point, but a three-pointer from Ojeleye tipped the first half in favour of the home team (43-39).

Real Madrid kept pushing until the end
After the restart, the Madridistas tried to close the gap with a three-pointer from Hezonja and successful shots from Abalde and Lyles. However, Crvena Zvezda took advantage of turnovers to create dangerous counterattacks and go on a 13-5 mini run (67-53). Real Madrid tried several times from the perimeter, but once again they were unable to convert, and the home side, with more confidence on the court, managed to maintain their lead (67-53, min. 30).

Scariolo's men put together some good defence and attacks in the opening minutes of the second half. Okeke reduced the deficit again with two consecutive doubles (80% accuracy), while Lyles also reached double digits in scoring (11 points). But it wasn't enough. Crvena Zvezda did not let up on defence; the Serbs' physical play, coupled with their accuracy in attack, prevailed over Real Madrid's constant attempts to reverse the result, which ended 90-75 in Belgrade.

CRVENA ZVEDZA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS

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