Madrid wins in France to break Euroleague record

Real Madrid set a new record in the last EuroLeague game of the year. Chus Mateo's men beat Asvel Villeurbanne away to earn their 16th win in 17 games and set a new record for the best first half of a season in the history of the competition. The leader did so overcoming the important absences of Rudy, Deck, Hezonja and Yabusele, in a very difficult clash, which they turned around with a sensational first five minutes of the last quarter, in which they achieved a 19-2 run that proved to be definitive. The Poirier-Tavares inside pairing put in a great performance. The former celebrated his 200th game as a madridista with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 21 PIR; and the latter, with 16, 12 and 26. It is the tenth win in a row for our team between Liga and Euroleague.
Asvel started the game stronger, attacking Madrid's danger zone with two tall centers in Fall and Lauvergne. A 13-4 lead in the 6th minute forced Chus Mateo to call a time-out. He put in four smaller players with Poirier at centre and Madrid responded. They gained in intensity and between Causeur (5 points) and his compatriot (another 5), they levelled the contest at the end of the first quarter (19-18).
Llull carries the team
However, the home side still had the upper hand, very aggressive in front of the hoop and making intelligent use of their physical superiority in the face of our injuries. Madrid could not get into an attacking rhythm, nor could they run and their shooting percentages were low. Despite this, they went one up midway through the second quarter after four almost consecutive points from Abalde (25-26, min. 16). However, within the lack of control in which the game was being played, Asvel took advantage of a series of unfortunate moves by our team to regain a nine-point lead. It was Llull, with a basket and a three-pointer (7 points in this period), who reduced the home side's lead before the break (39-33).
Inaccuracies in attack and a lack of three-pointers allowed Asvel to take the lead at the start of the second half (48-39, min. 24). Chus Mateo decided to put Tavares and Poirier together to counteract the rival's inside power. It soon had an effect. The Madrid duo sent Fall and Lauvergne to the bench. They also closed down the rebounding and we came out with greater clarity in attack, where Musa became our point of reference. With a 2-10 run, we were within one point, a gap that widened again in favour of the home side in the last minute of the third quarter (57-51).

Hard-earned victory
Poirier stepped up in his 200th game in a Real Madrid jersey and proved to be a giant in the zone. He scored the first eight points of the final quarter and spearheaded our team's first serious offensive period. The team was impeccable in defence and attack, with Tavares finishing with double figures in points and rebounds, while Sergio Rodríguez and Abalde also contributed. The Euroleague leader left Asvel scoreless for almost six minutes, and they went on a 2-19 run in five minutes to open up an 11-point lead with three minutes to go (59-70). But it had been a strange game that would be reaffirmed in the final stretch. The home side drew level at 74 in the final minute. However, Madrid had the necessary temperance not to give in and from the free throw line, with Tavares, Campazzo and Llull, and great defence on Asvel's last possession, they clinched the win (76-77, min. 40). The last game of 2023 comes on Sunday at the WiZink Center against Valencia Basket (12:30pm CET).
ASVEL-REAL MADRID STATISTICS