Madrid leave Virtus Bologna with no chance

Two weeks after winning the Clásico, Real Madrid picked up where they left off in the EuroLeague, where they remain leaders and the only unbeaten team in the competition with a game in hand. At the WiZink Center, they recorded their sixth win in a row against Virtus Bologna, who are third and were unbeaten since 5 October. And they did so with an authoritative performance that demonstrated their offensive fifth game with 100 points and defensive potential from the second quarter onwards. A 36-12 run in the first thirteen minutes set the tone for a game in which Campazzo was at his best 18 points, 11 assists and 39 PIR, a personal Euroleague PIR record. Tavares 17, 7 rebounds and 28 and Yabusele 16, 7 and 23 were also key players. That makes 16 wins in this spectacular start to the season.

A frenetic start between two of the top three offenses in the competition. The first quarter was an offensive battle. Virtus started brightly with Shengelia at the forefront 9-15, min.4. But Madrid withstood the onslaught and gradually turned the tide. Campazzo 4 points and 3 of the team's 8 assists and a dominant Tavares in the paint 11 points and 15 PIR allowed our team to take the lead before Hackett's 2+1 made it 26-27 at the 10' mark.

No speculation from Madrid 
They played an impressive second quarter, with a very high level of basketball and a spectacular balance in their game. They completely shut down Virtus Bologna with a defence that forced the Italians to commit up to 10 turnovers. From the back, Chus Mateo's side began to dictate the pace of the game, building their lead with everyone shining: Rudy, Llull, Hezonja, Deck, Tavares, Campazzo and Yabusele, who returned after three games to put Shengelia out of action.

The team gave a masterclass on how to run and finish a counterattack, and kept the fans on their feet with increasingly beautiful baskets. Llull's coast-to-coast dunk, Tavares' block and the one that brought together the two great protagonists of the first half: Campazzo 16 points and 25 PIR and Tavares 15 and 24. The point guard stole the ball in his own half, cut inside and passed to the centre, who turned his back and slammed it home. A 27-10 run gave Madrid a commanding 53-37 lead at the break.
 
Madrid's second-half surge finally broke the deadlock. If there was one thing our attack lacked, it was continuity. Three in a row, two from Deck and one from Musa, and the fourth from Yabusele. That, combined with an aggressive defence that allowed Virtus only 14 points in the third quarter, was enough to take them into the final period with a 17-point lead after a 36-12 run in thirteen minutes 68-51, min.30. Llull's two assists made him the fifth-highest assistant in the competition's history.

Madrid steady and at 100 points
Virtus refused to go down without a fight. Hackett and Belinelli started a run that saw Madrid's deficit shrink to 12 points going into the final quarter. Madrid, however, knew how to put on the brakes in time and responded with a solid, forceful and merciless response. First came three-pointers from Yabusele who missed just one from the field in his 16 points and Causeur 10, with Campazzo leading the way. The Argentinian point guard had a double-double in points and assists, and finished with a Euroleague record 39 PIR. Yabusele's baseline dunk brought Madrid back to 100 points for the fifth time this season 100-74, min.40. The WiZink Center witnessed another great European night for our team.

REAL MADRID-VIRTUS BOLONIA STATISTICS