Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss to Panathinaikos with one of their most complete performances of the season. Despite missing five players including Facundo Campazzo and Théo Maledon, Pedro Martínez's team put up 105 points against Ibon Navarro's Crvena Zvezda, who arrived as second-place with three straight wins and the EuroLeague's best defense, allowing just 74 points per game.
A 38-Point First Quarter
The game was decided early. Gabriele Procida already had ten points five minutes in, and a 19-9 run forced Ibon Navarro to call his first timeout. The Vitoria-based coach also picked up a technical foul in those opening minutes. Madrid was hitting nearly everything they threw up and dominated the boards, winning the first quarter rebounding battle 16-4. Nick Smith Jr., Olivier Sarr, and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot added from beyond the arc, and the quarter ended 38-20, Madrid's best first-quarter output of the season.
The lead reached 24 points (44-20) early in the second quarter, but Madrid stalled. With Tyson Carter leading the charge, Crvena Zvezda went on a 19-2 run and cut it to seven (46-39) with two minutes left before halftime. Jaime Pradilla and Smith answered with two three-pointers, and the teams went into the break at 56-41.
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Luwawu-Cabarrot Seals the Game
Luwawu-Cabarrot came out of halftime with five straight points and Madrid never let Crvena Zvezda get close again. Andrés Feliz, who finished with 11 points and 7 assists, scored nine of them in the third quarter and orchestrated his team's transition game. Madrid won that quarter 26-18 and entered the fourth with a 23-point lead (82-59).
The rest was a formality. Three-pointers from Alberto Abalde, Sergio Llull, and Chuma Okeke pushed the lead to its maximum, 31 points (92-61), with seven minutes remaining. With the game decided, Ibon gave minutes to his entire bench and Crvena Zvezda made the final score look better in the fourth quarter.
Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 22 points and Procida with 19 and four three-pointers. Madrid distributed the scoring well and made 13 of 26 three-pointers. For Crvena Zvezda, Carter scored 18 points, but Ibon's team never found a way to stop Madrid. The result leaves both teams at 7-4.