Real Madrid overcame Baxi Manresa on matchday 11 of the Liga Endesa to move level at the summit of the competition standings with Lenovo Tenerife, who the Whites will face in a week’s time. Chus Mateo’s men defended resolutely to maintain their unbeaten run in the league at the WiZink Center, while picking up their sixth win on the bounce. The madridistas dominated the clash from start to finish, spearheaded by Poirier and Musa (both with 26 in PIR) in the first half and inspired by a magnificent Causeur in the third quarter – who recorded 14 of his 20 points in the space of a minute. Yabusele made his 100th appearance for the club.
Madrid set a high scoring tempo at the start of the clash. Without the injured Tavares, Poirier stepped in to take his place in the starting line-up. Together with Musa (two back-to-back three-pointers in the first two possessions), they inspired the Madrid attack. The French center was on fire from the get-go and produced a stellar first quarter, with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 13 in PIR in just over 7 minutes. The hosts opened up a commanding 9-point lead (23-14, min.9) against a Baxi Manresa team that just about managed to stay in the game on the basis of direct penetration and short possessions.
Madridistas in control
The visitors' efforts forced Madrid to sustain a high offensive output. Vaulet spearheaded his team's attack, taking them to 32-27 at the midway point of the second quarter. But Chus Mateo's boys showed that they were in control of the proceedings, and this was enhanced when Musa and Poirier returned to the court. The Bosnian added another 13 points from three pointers (3/4) and free throws (4/4) in the first half, while the Frenchman ended the half with 21 in PIR, reflecting his influence on the game (46-35, min.20).
Video.103-89: Madrid extend unbeaten league run
Real Madrid started the second half in explosive fashion and ultimately settled the contest, putting an end to the visitors' stubborn spirit. Causeur was the standout performer in the second half. The small forward was instrumental in our team's breakaway with a sensational scoring run. In the space of just over one minute, he hit four consecutive three-pointers (16 points in the third quarter). This sparked a 14-2 run that escalated to 24-7 and a lead of 28 points (70-42, min. 25). From there on, the game moved into an exchange of baskets with Abalde and Poirier offsetting those by Waczynski and Tass. Madrid ended the third quarter with 34 points after a complete offensive explosion (80-61, min.40).
Six players in double-digit attacking figures
In the final stretch, Manresa reduced the deficit, but the lead was too big. Chus Mateo kept rotating players. Ndiaye and Hugo González also featured in the last quarter, with Yabusele putting in another solid performance to mark his 100th appearance in a Madrid jersey. With two minutes left on the clock, the Whites smashed their scoring record in the league this season, going over the 96 against Joventut and were just two short of the 105 recorded against Partizan (103-89, min.40). Half of the players finished with 10 or more points in another impressive offensive display.
REAL MADRID-BAXI MANRESA STATISTICS
