The madridistas produced another emphatic victory in the space of 48 hours. After Madrid had trounced Maccabi (98-65) in the EuroLeague at the WiZink Center on Friday, they took to the court a day and a half later to put on another dazzling display against Gran Canaria. Chus Mateo once again used his strong squad to ensure a solid performance, while the team matched its best offensive display this season with nine players in double-digit scoring. Tavares (25 in PIR, 21 consecutive points and 5 blocks) and Poirier (17 in PIR) spearheaded the Whites to victory.
The matchup got underway with an exchange of scoring runs. First the madridistas produced an 11-2 run courtesy of some good work in the paint by Tavares and Yabusele, which forced the visitors into calling time out on 3:25. The Gran Canaria bench, featuring Bassas, Salvó and Diop, provided more energy and sharpness in their play and they were able to level the score at 13 past the halfway point of the first quarter. The rest of the period consisted of an exchange of baskets, with the Whites always taking the initiative thanks to their dominance on the offensive rebound (25-23, min.10).
Hosts improve in defence
Madrid improved considerably in defence. The home side continued to dominate the rebounding but became much more aggressive on the passing lines. Gran Canaria started to struggle to score and Chus Mateo's charges rediscovered their inside-outside balance in attack, with all 11 players involved in the first half contributing to the score. Llull, Hanga and Musa posed more of a threat from the three-point line. The Bosnian small forward was the team's focal point with 10 points, while on the inside a superb Poirier (8 and 3 rebounds), assisted by the wizardry of Sergio Rodríguez (4 assists), marked the difference to take the second quarter 25-13 and go into the break 14 points up at 50-36.
Video.105-85: Second offensive masterclass in less than 48 hours
Madrid did not slacken in concentration in the second half and sustained the consistency at both ends of the court. An unstoppable Tavares was the team's leading scorer. Before being benched for a disputed foul in attack, the centre contributed 21 points, with 9/9 in two-point shots and 3/3 in free throws, 5 blocks and 4 dunks. It was an individual and team display that allowed Madrid to build up a lead of over 20 points at various points in the third quarter. A brief revival would come in a hectic last minute of the period to bring the score 73-60 at 29'.
Madrid reproduce best attacking tally
This turned out to be a fleeting glimmer of hope, because Madrid didn't allow Gran Canaria any breathing space. They closed out the game with three-pointers and an offensive tempo that their opponents could not keep up with. The madridistas hit seven of their 12 three-pointers in the final minutes to return to a 20-point lead and had 30 assists (9 from Sergio Rodríguez, followed by Williams-Goss and Llull, with 6 apiece). Musa's basket in the final seconds matched the season's best score of 105 against Partizan in the EuroLeague. Nine players finished with 10 or more in yet another offensive masterclass (105-85, min.40) to keep Madrid at the top of the standings.
REAL MADRID-GRAN CANARIA STATISTICS
