Leaders slip to home defeat

Real Madrid slipped to defeat against Baxi Manresa on matchday 27 of the Liga ACB, which was played at the WiZink Center, but the Whites remain top of the standings with a one-win edge over Unicaja. Chus Mate’s charges lacked the precision they required from the perimeter to change the pattern of a demanding and high-intensity game, as the visitors sealed the win in the final minutes. Poirier (19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks and 33 in PIR) was the standout performer for Chus Mateo's team, who rested Hezonja, Alocén and Ndiaye.

The first quarter was a tale of two halves, with the Whites taking the initiative with an 11-2 run in the first three minutes spearheaded by Musa and Yabusele, Madrid's two best performers in the opening quarter (7 and 5 points respectively). A time-out and the introduction of more brawn for Baxi Manresa in the inside positions brought the scoreboard back to parity (15-17).

Madrid in fits and starts
Manresa built up an 8-point lead midway through the second quarter, punishing Madrid's turnovers by playing at a high-tempo with continuous rotations and a highly physical approach to the game. The leaders did not dwell on the outside shooting, which was not producing results, and looked for other solutions in attack. They found some joy on the inside with the consistency of Poirier and the energy of Deck. The French centre did a superb job at both ends of the court with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 8:56 minutes. He was instrumental in counteracting the efforts of Baxi Manresa, who went into half-time on top after a 0-5 run (34-41).

At this point in the contest it was clear that it was not Madrid's day in attack. Even the easiest breaks and free throws were not going in, and that made the hosts desperate. Baxi Manresa took advantage of this to open up the biggest gap at 38-49 in the 24th minute. Madrid were trying their best to reverse the situation. Campazzo had a go, with five points almost in a row, and so did Poirier. However, there was a lack of continuity. Some arbitration decisions did not help either, such as a block by the French pivot on Dani Garcia. First the basket was given and this angered Chus Mateo and Llull, who both received technical fouls, and then the referees reversed the decision and ruled it valid. But the technical fouls were now irreversible and Geben scored the free throws.

Last-ditch drive not enough to get win
It was this that awakened the team. It injected them with energy and aggression. The team's defensive standards picked up and in attack they began to incorporate more players to the cause, such as Llull and Sergio Rodríguez. Strong offensive rebounding by Poirier, Yabusele and Deck gave Madrid second chances and at the same time prevented the visitors from breaking out on the counter-attack. Chus Mateo's charges got to within one point on several occasions, the last with 67-68 with three minutes to go. Just when it looked like the Whites might complete the comeback, Baxi Manresa produced a 3-9 run that proved to be definitive despite Madrid's last-ditch drive (72-83, min. 40).

REAL MADRID-BAXI MANRESA STATISTICS