The reigning champions get off to a formidable winning start in Euroleague

Real Madrid overcame their difficult Euroleague opener with flying colours. They arrived at the Buesa Arena without Tavares, Deck nor Ndiaye and the game was further complicated by the five fouls committed by Hezonja by the 27th minute, and the three fouls committed by Poirier and Diagne in the first half, which allowed Baskonia to do a lot of damage on the offensive rebound and take a seven-point lead. But our team resisted the opposition's pressure with their success from three point range 15 and in the last quarter they brought out their incredible winning mentality to turn the game around and claim an epic victory on the road. Yabusele, with 18 points 4 three pointers, 8 rebounds and 22 in PIR, led a team in which Llull also excelled on the offensive side, with 15 points and another 4 three pointers. 
 
For others it might have been a burden not having won in Vitoria in the Euroleague since 2019, but not for the current title holders. The early stages were marked by defensive play, with both teams testing each other and looking to score more from threes than from twos. Madrid connected three in a row from their five, with two from Yabusele, to take the lead midway through the first quarter. By that time Causeur had already blocked two of Howard's shots. However, the rashness in attack prevented them from getting into their groove, which Baskonia managed to do in the final stretch with a 7-0 run to close the first ten minutes 23-19.

Better offence than defence
As if our team wasn't already depleted in the paint, Diagne, today's starter in his Euroleague debut, and Poirier each picked up two fouls very early on. That forced Chus Mateo to make some changes. It went well at first, especially in offence. Open, with a small quintet, Madrid hit four more three-pointers in a row 10 in 16 minutes, with two from an inspired Llull. Yabusele and Hezonja combined to give our team an 18-6 lead that put them with a small 5-point advantage in the 13th minute 29-34. However, the lack of height in the inside game began to take its toll. Baskonia charged up the rebounding with Moneke and Diop and, based on second options, they cut the deficit until they were ahead at half-time 47-43.

The pace of play did not let up and the third quarter continued to be a tug-of-war. Poirier and Costello were the protagonists after the restart. The Madrid centre led the way with seven consecutive points and Baskonia's American responded with ten. Meanwhile, Llull, who equalled Printezis as the third player with the most Euroleague games 375, made his fourth three-pointer of the night. The Whites were loaded with fouls and were without Hezonja in the 27th minute when he was penalised for his fifth foul, just when the home side were seven up thanks to their superiority in offensive rebounding 65-58.
 
A colossal Madrid
Madrid suffered but continued to fight. By believing, giving their all on every possession and increasing their aggressiveness in defence, they gradually ate away at a Baskonia side that had reached its peak. Poirier and Yabusele had more presence in the zone, Rudy was a real nuisance for his opponents, who could no longer find the hoop so easily. Two French three-pointers: Causeur and Yabusele, and another basket from the power forward levelled the game at 77 with two minutes to go. And that's where it ended for Baskonia, who were unable to score any more against the reigning champions. Campazzo appeared when the team needed him most and, with a steal and a basket, made it 77-79 with 59 seconds to go. The home side tried but came up against a Madrid outfit that was at its best defensively. A hard-fought but deserved victory. We remain unbeaten so far this season. Our next stop is against Girona in the league this Sunday 6:30pm CET.

BASKONIA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS