Real Madrid-Maccabi: Whites chasing victory behind closed doors
Scariolo's men are looking for their second EuroLeague win of the week at the Movistar Arena (8:45 pm CET).
After Tuesday’s victory in Lyon over Asvel Villeurbanne, this evening, Real Madrid return to EuroLeague action. The Whites face Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Movistar Arena behind closed doors with the game declared a high-risk event by the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport. Our team will be looking for its 13th win in this competition to stay in the play-off places.
The Madridistas will be without the support of their home fans despite playing at home. This will be a disadvantage, but they will have to overcome it to continue their great run at the Movistar Arena, where they have won 8 of their 9 games. In such an evenly matched EuroLeague, it is almost compulsory to secure home games. Scariolo's team are in the play-off places (12-8), just two wins behind the leaders, and they could continue to climb up the standings this matchday as there are direct clashes between the top teams.
In the victory less than 48 hours ago against Asvel, which was the result of a brilliant last quarter from our team, Scariolo rested Llull and Deck. Lyles was decisive with 21 points, 12 of them in the final minutes. And also the defensive effort of the team, customised the other day by Feliz and Garuba. Defence and rebounding will be two crucial aspects to get the win against a Maccabi team (8-12) that has the fourth-best attack in the competition (89 points on average).
The Israeli team boasts excellent scorers such as Walker IV, who could return from injury, Sorkin, Blatt, Lundberg or TJ. Leaf, among others. They are also a powerhouse in offensive rebounding with athletic players like Brissett, Santos or Hoard. In contrast, Maccabi ranks as the worst defence in the EuroLeague (conceding an average of 91.7 points). It will be their fourth away game in a row after the win in Belgrade against Partizan and the defeats in Munich and Barcelona.
A European classic
The clashes between the two teams, besides being one of the grand classics of European basketball (today they meet for the 75th time since the 1967-68 season), have recently been characterised by a high number of points and tight finishes. In the first meeting, Maccabi won 92-91, also without a home crowd. Scariolo 's men are looking for their second EuroLeague win of the week.