By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and 34 PIR. These were Marc Gasol’s numbers in his first Spanish ACB League game in 14 years but his performance wasn’t enough to prevent Girona’s loss to Real Madrid.
Mario Hezonja scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Real Madrid tipped off the 2022-23 season and its quest to defend the title with a 94 – 88 road win over newcomer Girona. Guerschon Yabusele had 17 points and Dzanan Musa added 15 points for the Blancos that had a rough start in the aftermath of winning the SuperCup Sunday, but found their form quickly.
Girona entered the game with a 21 – 17 advantage in the first quarter behind buckets by Gasol and Kameron Taylor (22 points, six assists, five rebounds overall). And then, Hezonja happened. The Croatian forward scored 15 points in the second quarter to give Real a 36 – 45 halftime lead and his team proceeded to take a double-digit (57 – 69) advantage by the end of the third period.
Taylor helped Girona to approach 75 – 79 with 4:23 remaining but the visiting side delivered a 0 – 8 run to close the game without problems.