Victory and home-court advantage in the EuroLeague playoffs

Real Madrid completed its best regular season at home in the EuroLeague and secured home-court advantage in the playoffs. Our team achieved another victory against Red Star at the Movistar Arena, their 14th consecutive win out of 18 in 19 games. Scariolo's side delivered a strong performance against an opponent also competing for a lot, ensuring at least third place. They will finish second if Valencia Basket loses at the Dubai Basketball court. Campazzo (16 points, 8 assists, and a PIR of 21), Feliz (10 and 18), and Maledon (12 and 17) led six players in double-figure PIRs. A moving tribute was held at halftime for Emiliano Rodríguez, one of the great legends of our club.

Red Star's three-point success in the first quarter (6/8), with a strong start from Nwora (11 points), set a very high offensive pace and forced Real Madrid to play catch-up early on. Our team stayed close to the Serbian side thanks to Campazzo (5), Okeke (8), and Tavares (4). A three-pointer by Butler opened a 7-point gap for the visitors in the 8th minute, seemingly securing the first quarter. But no. Feliz brought more aggressiveness to the team and led an 8-0 run to turn the score around (27-25, min.10).

Madrid takes control
The game shifted in the second quarter, with control moving into madridista hands. The second unit, featuring Feliz, Maledon, Deck, Lyles, and Garuba, brought added defensive intensity while maintaining offensive consistency. The visitors stayed competitive with their three-point shooting and offensive rebounding. Madrid displayed great consistency and cohesion in their play. Everyone contributed to delivering another blow with a 9-0 run, showing tremendous energy, forcing turnovers, and moving the ball fluidly. Campazzo and Hezonja, who combined for the play of the game with a no-look assist from the Argentine to a dunk by the Croatian, extended the run to 20-8 to go into halftime with a 12-point lead (56-44).

With Campazzo dictating the game's rhythm, Madrid established its largest lead in the early part of the third quarter (62-46, min.23). However, Red Star, with direct play and full-court pressure, closed the gap to 7 points by the 29th minute. Yet again, Feliz stepped up. Five points from the Dominican and a signature three-pointer by Llull at the buzzer, mere inches away from another madridista legend, Doncic, who was present at the Movistar Arena alongside Djokovic, restored order in just a minute (77-63, min.30).

Madrid surges ahead
Scariolo's men definitively broke the game open at the start of the fourth quarter. They completely shut down Belgrade's scoring, limiting them to just 4 points in 5 minutes. Maledon, with his third and-one play, and Garuba, who finished with 4 blocks, sealed the fate of an opponent unable to handle Madrid's best defensive version. Hezonja pushed the lead beyond 20 points in the final stretch, controlled by our team, which reached the 100-point mark for the fifth time in the regular season (103-82, min.40). 

Real Madrid-Red Star statistics