Comeback and victory in the last game of the preseason

Real Madrid came from behind against Varese to secure a full house of preseason victories. The Whites did so at the Ciutat de Maó Tournament after a great last quarter in which they overcame the Italians' spectacular three-point shooting. Hezonja, Tavares and Musa were the key players in the final stretch of the game as they secured their third victory in this preparation phase. Llull, who returned to his hometown, was honoured at half-time and received a standing ovation from the fans.

Both teams took to the court with great intensity. Madrid, with eight points from Hezonja, took the initiative at the start, but Varese were not fazed and made a push with three-pointers (14-12; min. 5). Inspired outside shooting from Harris and Hands allowed the Italians to take the first quarter 22-16.

The visitors' efficiency
The tempo was the same in the second quarter. The Italian team was very comfortable shooting from the outside and, together with their work on defence, began to gain distance on the scoreboard (29-35). It was Tavares and Musa who sustained The Whites with quick transitions, but Varese's efficiency in three-pointers was greater and they went into the break ahead (36-43).
Varese's run of form did not fade away after the break, as they managed their biggest lead so far (41-49; min. 24). Once again, the Tavares-Musa duo took centre stage to keep Real Madrid in the fight and close the gap (50-53: min. 27). Fatigue waned on both teams, the scoring pace slowed down and the third quarter ended 56-58.

Madrid comeback
Varese continued to lead on the scoreboard, but Madrid withstood the rival attacks and continued to fight to take the game (62-66; min. 35). Hands, with two three-pointers in a row opened the gap once again. But it was Hezonja, also with two more three-pointers, who responded to level the game with two minutes to go (76-79). Tavares put his stamp on the game with two good moves at the end, and Musa completed the comeback with a triple (83-79).