Not having Walter Tavares is not having the most destabilizing player beyond the NBA. And Real Madrid seems to be bleeding to death since the player who closes the airspace in the pavilions across Europe has fallen due to an ankle injury. In five days he has suffered two embarrassing defeats. The first, on the field of UCAM Murcia (73-61), in the ACB League, and the second, this Friday, in the Euroleague, in the fiefdom of Monaco, who shook the continental champion (98-76) from the first minute.
Chus Mateo’s team went from suffering a 12-0 partial in the last seconds of Murcia to starting this day of the Euroleague with another negative streak, an 11-2 that did not bode well. Real Madrid conceded too many points and saw how the lead was stretched without being able to do anything to prevent it. He only opposed a blow from Chacho Rodríguez. In just a few seconds, the point guard achieved a triple, a two-point basket and forced a personal attack by Okobo. The reaction lasted just that, a few movements of the second hand. Monaco regained control and, taking advantage of Real Madrid’s numerous losses, went up to twenty points ahead (54-34).
It is not usual for the European champion to concede 56 points in half a game. But Real Madrid is a much more fragile team without Tavares (also without Sergio Llull), without the tower that is the pillar of its defense. It was also seen in the second half, when the advantage expanded. Chus Mateo tried with some bench players who throughout the season have maintained, and even increased, the pace of the game, but not this time. Madrid was doomed to suffer its fifth defeat of the season (three in Europe and two in Spain), and the second in a row this year.
Chus Mateo asked his team to finish with a good feeling and in a timeout, with the score already at 90-64, he was heard telling them that he already knew they were not going to win that game, but that he wanted to do a good job in the final minutes. . There is only one month left until the Copa del Rey and the coach cannot allow his team to lose the good feelings with which he has been dazzling in all the competitions. This defeat was the toughest of the season.
Much closer was the game at La Fonteta, where Valencia Basket reacted when it looked worst, when EA7 Milan took a ten-point lead (46-56). Then they went on a 13-0 run that allowed them to regain dominance on the scoreboard.
Álex Mumbrú’s team strengthened its defense, which was very irregular in the first half, and relying on the small details and the intangibles of Jaime Pradilla, who was fired shouting “MVP!”, managed to end a streak of three consecutive defeats in the Euroleague and strengthened its chances of entering the playoffs, with a victory (84-72) that also allows it to knock down the rival that was right behind it in the standings.
