Real Madrid defeated Baskonia 79:77 in Vitoria in the first round of the EuroLeague.
Walter Tavares did not play in this game due to a respiratory infection, and Gabriel Deck is still dealing with an injury. Eli Ndiaye was absent due to personal reasons. As for the hosts, they had their full squad available.
Neither team could boast organized play at the start of the game. Three-point shots were the primary focus, and big men were mostly relegated to setting screens and grabbing offensive rebounds. Unless you were named Matt Costello, you had to wait for an easy basket or offensive rebound to score. In such a chaotic game, the home team initially adapted better, although Real found its rhythm as time passed and turned the game around. However, Baskonia managed to gather its strength and went into halftime with a slight advantage, capitalizing on a slightly weaker period from their opponents.
Despite appearing in the second quarter that Real Madrid might take control, it didn’t happen. Joan Penarroya’s team maintained a consistent lead, but it wasn’t substantial enough to secure the victory. Real Madrid exploited this situation at the end. First, Facundo Campazzo gave his team the lead with a stolen ball, and then Markus Howard missed the game-winning shot, leaving Baskonia just short.
The top scorers for the winners were Guerschon Yabusele with 18 points and Sergio Llull with 15 points. Matt Costello led the home team with 16 points.
Baskonia, led by Costello, and Real Madrid, led by Yabusele
In the opening minutes, Baskonia set a fast-paced tempo, with almost every attack ending in a three-point shot. Guerschon Yabusele and Matt Costello were the most active in this regard, each hitting two three-pointers. However, the home team benefited more from this style of play and ended the first quarter with the lead.
The unorganized play in the first quarter and the deficit going into the second quarter forced Madrid to step up their game. They turned things around with a 6-0 run, even though their two-point shooting was at 2/5 and their three-point shooting at 9/16. This didn’t prevent them from controlling the tempo until about six minutes before the end of the first half when Nico Mannion tied the game at 34:34. This pushed the team from Vitoria, which managed to calm down their opponents and take the lead before halftime.
Dramatic finish after Baskonia’s control, At the beginning of the second half, the teams traded baskets, but Baskonia still maintained a slight edge. Even a very weak performance from Facundo Campazzo, who couldn’t find his desired rhythm, didn’t help the guests. The European champions looked unrecognizable, constantly slowed down and lacking fluidity in their game to produce results. Even Vincent Poirier had to resort to three-pointers due to a lack of other options. Baskonia took advantage of this and maintained their lead.
Baskonia had opportunities to extend their lead further in the closing minutes but missed them. Fabien Causeur punished one such situation with a three-pointer, bringing Real within just three points. In the very next play, Yabusele was accurate in the same manner, bringing the game to a tie in the last four minutes. Campazzo stole the ball and scored to give Madrid a two-point lead just a minute before the end. Mannion then missed a shot, but Dzanan Musa made a mistake, giving the home team a chance for either overtime or victory. Markus Howard missed a three-pointer, sealing the win for the “Royal Club,” which ultimately came out on top.
BASKONIA – REAL MADRID 77:79 (23:19, 24:24, 20:19, 10:17)
Venue: Buesa arena, Vitorija; Referees: Belosevic, Mogulkoc, Racys.
Baskonia: Howard 10, Mannion 13, Raieste, Sedekerskis 8, Marinkovic, Miller-McIntyre, Diez, Rogkavopoulos 4, Diop 8, Kotsar 5, Costello 16, Moneke 13.
Real Madrid: Causeur 7, Diagne, Fernandez, Abalde, Campazzo 2, Gonzalez, Hezonja 9, Rodriguez 5, Poirier 10, Llull 15, Yabusele 18, Musa 13.