By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid overcame ASVEL Villeurbanne with an 87-78 victory for Round 28 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, their seventh straight.
Jaycee Carroll posted a team-high 19-point performance (5-10 FG) along with two rebounds to help Real get back on track in the second half, after trailing at halftime.
Fabien Causeur did his part with 15 points, as Usman Garuba also played a crucial role in the final period and exited the court with 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Pablo Laso also chose to use Mario Nakic in the first half, as the youngster forward received nearly 8 minutes on the court exiting with 2 points and a steal.
“Mario [Nakic] gave us a good start, we needed that extra energy Usman [Garuba] and Mario gave us. Mario was very important in the beginning to start with a different lineup, that way we were able to rotate more. And Usman gave us a lot of energy in the end. I’m very happy for them, and I am very happy for the team”, said Laso after the game.
ASVEL’s Livio Jean-Charles added 13 points, while Theo Maledon had 12 points.
Real overcomes the challenge to hold on to its streak
Earlier this week, the French side defeated Valencia to rank among nine teams fighting for a spot in the playoffs and they showed their willingness to fight their way up on the standings. Through a great team effort, they managed to grab a 39-38 lead at halftime.
Real’s reaction in the second half was quick, with Rudy Fernandez (9 points) and Nicolas Laprovittola (9 points) shaped the score to 67-63 in Real’s favour after 30 minutes. Garuba stepped up in the fourth period to give a 73-65 advantage to the hosts as they started expanding their lead until the end of the game.
Real improved to a 21-6 record and will look to hold on tight to the homecourt advantage ahead of the playoffs, while ASVEL sinks to a 10-17 record.
Photo: EuroLeague