Real Madrid closed the circle in Kaunas. The white team hit rock bottom at the start of the season on December 12, when they lost at home to Zalgiris, their third European defeat in a row. Facing the same rival, this time in the cauldron lit by 15,000 fans in Kaunas, Chus Mateo’s team completed its resurrection with a resounding victory (64-83), the fifth consecutive victory in the Euroleague and the ninth in its last 10 games counting the ACB. And without needing the most stellar version of its two pillars, Campazzo and Tavares. Musa, with 17 points, led the way ahead of the rest of the actors and a choral performance supported by defensive sweat.
The Whites conceded six three-pointers in the first quarter and missed all seven they attempted. The match started uphill (26-15) until Ibaka appeared first on the inside, a tall substitute for Tavares and even an outside shooter, and then Musa, one of the pieces that explains this new face of Madrid. Mateo’s team tied the match at halftime (34-35) and pressed the accelerator in the second half. Ndiaye grew on the rebound, Musa multiplied in the attack (he added seven points in just 20 seconds) and Madrid collected a juicy lead (46-65) that they no longer suffered to maintain in the face of Zalgiris’ external failures. In Kaunas, another Madrid.
