Eliminated from the League Playoffs

Real Madrid was eliminated from the Liga Endesa playoffs after losing the third and decisive quarterfinal game against La Laguna Tenerife, held at the Movistar Arena. Our team fought for the win until the end but lacked the outside shooting accuracy that the Tenerife side displayed.

From the start, our team had to contend with the sharp outside shooting of La Laguna Tenerife, who, with a 5/8 in three-pointers, took the initiative during the first 7 minutes thanks to Huertas and Doonerkamp (12-19). A brilliant Hezonja, with 12 points, provided madridista resistance. The second unit, led by Feliz and Maledon, gave the team a boost on both ends of the court, and with a 9-0 run in their favor, managed to end the first quarter one point ahead (24-23, min.10).

Deck leads Madrid
The pace of the game slowed in a much more physical and stagnant second quarter, with continuous stoppages and minimal differences on the scoreboard. Krämer and Yurtseven kept Madrid ahead until the 14th minute (33-29), but the breakthrough of Mills and Yebo, with 9 points each, turned the situation around for the visitors. Without the three-point resource and missing up to 5 free throws, our team relied on Deck. The Argentine forward was the most effective in attack, and his 8 points prevented the opponent from going into halftime with a greater lead (45-49).   

La Laguna Tenerife came out more focused in the second half and, with a bit of luck (Huertas’ two-handed three-pointer at the end of possession) and a technical foul on the madridista bench, found themselves 7 points ahead in the 23rd minute. But Scariolo's team responded promptly. Campazzo stepped up, and together with Abalde and Deck, they achieved a 9-0 run to turn the game around and overcome a delicate moment. From that point on, Madrid grew in confidence, and thanks to Feliz and his unstoppable drives, they managed to take a 5-point lead in the last minute of the third quarter (73-68, min.29).

Trailing Behind
A three-pointer from Sastre at the start of the final quarter tied the game at 73. In the following minutes, there was a back-and-forth of baskets between the teams, but Madrid struggled from long distance, missing their open shots. The opposite was true for the Tenerife side, who hit four almost consecutive three-pointers to open up a 10-point gap and make it 79-89 with 5 minutes remaining. Scariolo's team tried to mount a comeback, but their opponent defended solidly to secure the victory (95-107, min.40).

Real Madrid-La Laguna Tenerife Statistics