Tavares Makes History as Real Madrid Defeats Burgos (90-79)

Thirty-six seconds into the second half, Balša Koprivica attempted a finish near the basket and found Walter Tavares's arm in his way. That block, the center's second of the game, made him the all-time shot-blocking leader in Liga Endesa history with 739, one more than Fran Vázquez. The Movistar Arena erupted, play stopped, and his wife and two children came down to the court to present him with a plaque and a trophy shaped like a giant hand.

Sergio Llull, the team captain, handed him the record ball.
The moment came in a game that Real Madrid had to come back in. Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos made them work throughout the entire first half, but the whites ended up securing their sixth victory in six league games.
Burgos Leads the First Quarter
Fisac's team came out with confidence. They dominated the boards, shut down penetration lanes, and held Real Madrid to just 14 points in the first quarter, their fourth-lowest scoring quarter of the season in Liga Endesa.

Pedro Martínez's team didn't make a single one of their first six three-pointers and missed Theo Maledon, who collected the October MVP trophy before the game and watched from the bench due to injury. Mikael Jantunen and Nick Smith Jr. were also unavailable.
DJ Steward gave Burgos their best shooting performance from beyond the arc and the visitors got as close as seven points ahead. Real Madrid didn't take the lead until 2:25 remained before halftime, with two free throws from Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. From there they never looked back: a 12-0 run gave them a 39-31 halftime lead.

Real Madrid Extends Lead After the Tribute
The celebration didn't slow Real Madrid's momentum. They maintained their advantage in the third quarter and a 10-2 run midway through the period put them up 14. The lead reached 18 points, with Usman Sarr and Joan Pradilla dominating the boards: between them they combined for 18 rebounds. Real Madrid grabbed 46 rebounds to Burgos's 35.

Burgos didn't give up and had chances in the fourth quarter to get within single digits. The best opportunity came on a missed layup by Dani Díez, which Real Madrid punished on the next possession with a three-pointer from Max Shulga. The Ukrainian, with 14 points in 15 minutes, was among his team's most efficient performers on a night when Luwawu-Cabarrot led the whites with 17 points. For Burgos, Steward finished with 20 points and Christian Sengfelder added 15.