Deck takes Kaunas in Real Madrid’s awakening
The whites win the last day of the Euroleague at the buzzer after a week of three defeats
Real Madrid beat Zalgiris Kaunas (62-64) this Thursday on the last day of the Regular Phase of the Euroleague, with both teams having nothing at stake but with a good exchange in the last quarter, which smiled at the whites to get out of a patch of defeats.
Mario Hezonja (16 points) and Dzanan Musa (17) led the victory of a Madrid that woke up in time, but had an opponent who did not throw in the towel. With nothing at stake, the Lithuanians eliminated and the Spanish in first place for the playoffs, the match left a lot to be desired in the first half, very little success in both, but it gained interest and excitement after the break.
Thus, for the last set there was a scoring festival, an exchange of triples between Hezonja and Brady Manek for the locals, although others ended up being decisive. Center Kevarrius Hayes tied the game with eight seconds left with a three-pointer, but Madrid won it at the buzzer with a basket by Gaby Deck.
The Argentine, with the cold blood that characterizes him, attacked Kaunas after also being one of the standouts in the first half. The ‘Turtle’, Edy Tavares and Vincent Poirier waged a good war inside, seeing that no one, except Musa, had an inspired wrist, giving the visitors the first advantage, in a friendly match rotation for Chus Mateo.
For the locals, Keenan Evans and Dovydas Giedraitis were the ones who worked to turn around a 9-16 deficit in the first quarter. Madrid punished again after the restart, but a 6-0 run allowed the Lithuanians to tighten the score heading into the final quarter, even taking the lead with Manek’s success.
Everything that had not entered did so at the critical moment and, a match with nothing at stake, suddenly grew in excitement. Without Facundo Campazzo due to rest, Hezonja and Musa picked up the baton to keep Madrid in the brave exchange of the Lithuanians, although it was Deck who ended up securing the 27th.
There, Madrid set the historical record for the Regular Phase of the Euroleague, which, after losing three games last week, woke up in Kaunas, where it won the eleventh European Cup last year. Mateo’s men are now waiting for a rival, who will come out of the ‘pla-in’.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: ZALGIRIS KAUNAS, 62 – REAL MADRID, 64. (25-32, at half-time).
–EQUIPMENT.
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ZALGIRIS KAUNAS: Evans (14), Giedraitis (10), Manek (14), Ulanovas (-) and Birutis (6) –initial quintet– Smits (3), Lekavicius (2), Sumner (8), Butka ( -), Hayes (5), Lavrinavicius (-).
REAL MADRID: Alocén (3), Abalde (2), Musa (17), Deck (6) and Tavares (8) –starting quintet–; Yabusele (1), Causeur (2), Poirier (6), Hezonja (16), Llull (3).
–PARTIALS: 9-16, 16-15, 17-13, 20-20.
–REFEREES: Lottermoser, Nikolic and Bissang. No eliminated.
–PAVILLION: Zalgirio Arena.
2024-04-11 23:40:31
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