Euroleague working day 24
Real Madrid beat Maccabi (106-101), in a scoring festival, but gave too many opportunities to the Israeli team, who at times thought they might break the resistance for the first time at the WiZink Center, where they remain undefeated in the Euroleague, a fortress that no one has been able to assault.
It seemed like it was a game that, with the fifth gear that the Madrid team usually puts in the minutes in which they need to get stronger, would be enough for everyone to go home calmly following another day at the office. But this time Real did not use super fuel, but normal. Nobody pushed more than necessary, as usually happens. Someone always appears to take responsibility, but it didn’t happen this time.
After a first quarter in which they established differences (29-18), Maccabi never became discouraged, and with the defenses somewhat careless, the scoring skyrocketed. Musa and Poirier were the most successful for Madrid, but for the visiting team, Colson scored 25 points and former Baskonista Baldwin completed a magnificent second half with 28 points. The American, who played anarchically at times, led Maccabi, who in the last 10 minutes chained two sets (0-11 and 0-9) that put his team fully into the game. With 4.45 to go, with a disturbing 100-98, and in the final minute, following a triple by Baldwin, that 104-101 that Madrid had to defend by calling for a timeout. Hezonja scored both free throws following the Maccabees’ desperate foul, and that was the end of an entertaining game, but one that Chus Mateo didn’t like too much. “We have tried to score more than them, but we might have closed earlier, applying ourselves more in defense,” analyzed the coach of the white team.
For its part, Baskonia, who at no point during the game dreamed of catching Bayern Munich, and who only took advantage in the first quarter (10-11), knew how to stay involved in the game, and not give up the effort, until that in the final moments he found a loophole and got in. It was thanks to a triple by Miller-Mcintyre (94-94) with 3.7 seconds left that he put his team in overtime. He then managed to get into the fight and took the lead following a three-pointer from Marinkovic, but even though he did not give up until the last play, the Vitorian team blamed too much the elimination due to fouls by Moneke and Howard in extra time. Despite everything, he came within a three-point shot to force another overtime, but the last forced shot was lost in limbo. Pablo Laso’s team won (112-109).
In Belgrade, Valencia had no chance of beating Red Star, who dominated from start to finish to win the game (82-64). Jones, Inglis and Reuvers, who were the top scorers of the Mumbrú team, were left in the shadow of Nedovic, who with 27 points, and six of seven triples, broke the Valencian defense.
