Real Madrid beat Valencia Basket at the WiZink Center to earn their nineteenth victory in the Euroleague, which allows them to remain in first place (they have one win and one game less than Olympiacos) with seven games left in the Regular League. Chus Mateo's team knew how to suffer in a game that they dominated in the first half and in which they had to endure heavy pressure from their rivals in the third and last quarter, where a superlative Deck (18 points and 26 index points) and a great Poirier (11 and 20) were vital to get the victory.
Valencia Basket's initial success in three-pointers put them in the lead in the first few minutes (8-12, min.5). But our team was well established in the paint and in attack they moved the ball quickly with Tavares driving the game from the high post (two assists) so that the five players on the court could open their scoring accounts. Little by little Madrid took the initiative away from the visitors and with an 8-0 run we took the lead in a first quarter that we ended up winning 24-20 with an outstanding performance by Cornelie (7 points and 11 index rating points) and Hezonja (7 and 9).
Madrid applies pressure
After an early surge from the visitors, with 11 consecutive points from Rivero, which was neutralized by our team from three point range (33-31, min.15), Madrid took control of the game with three great minutes. They applied themselves in defense, lowering Taronja's outside shooting percentages and in attack they continued at a very high level with everyone taking part. Sergio Rodriguez was very active, Rudy continued to add from the perimeter and Tavares, Deck and Cornelie finished with great strength. Between 15' and 19', we achieved a 14-4 run to reach our peak in the first half (47-35).
Video.95-91: Deck and Poirier lead win over Valencia Basket
Valencia Basket had reduced the deficit before the break and with a dazzling start in the third quarter had turned the game around by hitting four three-pointers in a row (53-55, min.24). But Madrid recovered in time to cut the streak and regain the initiative in the game. In the midst of a very high level of tension after several controversial refereeing decisions, both technical and unsporting, Deck and Poirier came to the forefront and helped Chus Mateo's team go into the final quarter six points up (71-65, min.30).
Deck leads the victory
A cushion that increased to 9 points during the first part of the last quarter thanks to the amazing work of the Argentine and the Frenchman in offensive rebounding, who scored all the Madrid points except for a basket by Cornelie. With 83-74 at 26', Valencia Basket turned to Jones and the three-pointer. And it worked out well, because they got within two points with a minute and a half to go. But there was Deck, omnipresent. Everyone looked for him and he responded by making the right decisions on every play. In the last minute he scored two free throws first, dished up an assist for Tavares' dunk and recovered a turnover. Even so, Valencia held on with 93-91 with 15 seconds left. However, Deck would close the victory with two more free throws to cap a great game (95-91, min.40).
REAL MADRID-VALENCIA BASKET STATISTICS
