This evening, Baskonia came face to face with Real Madrid once again under the lights of the Movistar Arena for a pivotal rematch, hoping to recreate the result of their last meeting. In November, Baskonia staged a monumental comeback to beat Real Madrid 105-100 from 20 points down at half time. However, they were sadly unable to perform the double tonight as Real Madrid snatched a 94-78 win.
Despite being well-positioned ahead of this match, having won their last Euroleague match against Milan, Baskonia were the underdogs of tonight’s meet with some hit-and-miss recent performances. Real Madrid who sat five places higher in the table came into tonight’s match with the upper hand. Back on home turf after a 20-day stint away, Los Blancos won their four previous matches, and, in front of the home crowd, were looking to impress.
Baskonia started out strong in the first quarter. Settling into an immediate fluidity, they took an early lead over the hosts who struggled to find their rhythm. Favouring long shots, Baskonia racked up several 3 and 2 pointers with Howard, Simmons and Luwawu-Cabarrot each scoring multiple, allowing the team to take an early lead. In defence, the forwards kept Real Madrid away from the paint, pushing them to commit multiple unforced errors and open up several turnovers.
Frustratingly, Baskonia’s occasionally overzealous approach to defence gave away multiple free throws to the hosts, allowing them to regain the lead. This continued through the second quarter as Real Madrid continued racking up free-throw points. However, momentum slowed in the second quarter with both teams scoring significantly fewer baskets. It was mostly pretty level, but a buzz-beating long shot from Feliz tipped the score in Real Madrid’s favour to close out the first half at 42-39.
After a promising start for Baskonia, Real Madrid began to edge away in the third quarter with a re-energised defence. Their forwards created space for Campazzo and Hezonja to break through and put on some displays of offensive creativity, while the visiting team struggled to find paths through to the net. Their once-positive hopes of a repeat were starting to dim. Although Real Madrid gave away several free throws, sadly they weren’t enough for Baskonia to level the score.
The team did show a mid-quarter surge of energy in the fourth, punctuated by a stunning long shot from Howard that put Baskonia back in the game, but sadly, Real Madrid continued to creep ahead. Having played strongly in both offence and defence during the last quarter, Los Blancos managed to seal a win over their guests. The final score sat at 94-78.
Despite losing out on the win, Baskonia played well and proved tough competitors for Real Madrid. Much like the last time these teams clashed, Luwawu-Cabarrot and Howard showed their worth, racking up the most points across both teams; a total 42 between them. Their leadership and tactical vision were a great benefit to Baskonia today.
Looking forward, Baskonia will surely spend the next few days building on today’s performance and addressing any defensive deficiencies that may have put them on the back foot ahead of Saturday’s game against Gran Canaria.
Post-Match Press Conference Remarks
After a tough competition, Baskonia Head Coach Paolo Galbiati expressed pride in his players but also spoke confidently about areas he and the team will work on together going forward. In particular, Galbiati cited the 50-50 balls as a weak point for Baskonia, stating “We won zero 50-50 ball by the half-time”.
He also mentioned that the team could be “more disciplined in the offence” but he understands that the players are young and they are still developing as a team so, when confronted with the “physicality of Real Madrid”, they were able to play well, they just need to tighten up slightly and work on their efficiency.
