By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Sergio Llull scored 10 out of his team-high 20 points in the last six minutes of the game as Real Madrid beat Olimpia Milano 92 – 88 in overtime to get back to EuroLeague wins after four straight losses.
Gabriel Deck delivered 15 points and six rebounds for Real while making some big plays on both ends down the stretch in his best performance since he rejoined the Blancos. Guerschon Yabusele added 16 points and Nigel Williams-Goss 12, including the win-sealing free throws.
“I think we needed a win at home against a really good Milan team with an amazing coach, also, and we just fought,” Llull said. “We have to keep working and fight until the end. We played with heart. It is what you have to do in this kind of game, at home, with our crowd. And I said, we fought until the end and got the award, the victory.”
Devon Hall had 21 points and Nicolo Melli posted 18 points plus eight rebounds for Milano that was up by seven points with 2:54 to play in the fourth period but went scoreless in crunch time and didn’t manage to close the game.
Llull hit the 3-pointer that tied the score at 81 with 51 seconds left in the fourth period and capped a Real comeback from down 74 – 81 in two minutes. It was the shot that sent the game to the extra period since the two teams failed to connect to the basket in the last plays of regulation.
Real opened overtime with a 7 – 0 run and Llull leading the charge with five straight points. The Spanish superstar made another bucket for the 90 – 83 but then Milano approached 90 – 88 with 37 seconds remaining.
Lull won a key offensive foul from Delaney that stole Milano the opportunity to tie the score or go up. The visiting side was forced to foul Williams-Goss who made both of his decisive free throws.
Real big man Edy Tavares in the last 15 minutes of the game. The back-to-back DPOY was ejected in the mid of the third period after being called with an unsportsmanlike foul and a technical in the same play.
“Congratulations to Pablo [Laso] and his team, who deserved to win the game above all, because in the final part of the game, Sergio Llull played the way Sergio Llull can play, that is, like a champion,” Milano coach Ettore Messina said. “He took a lot of responsibilities and played great late in the game. We played well and in the last 3-4 minutes, we lacked the patience we had before. We rushed things and picked up turnovers. We missed free throws and go back home with the feeling that we throw the game out of the window, a little bit. This happened, we will talk about, discuss it, and we will get better.”
Bouncing back after hitting a rough patch
Real Madrid had almost forgotten what it’s like to win in EuroLeague and coach Pablo Laso was pleased to see his team recover its form.
“My team has a lot of heart and I am very happy and proud of it,” Laso said. “It has been tough weeks since we lost the Spanish Cup final and we had a lot of injuries. And I think they deserved this. They played with a lot of heart and we showed it until the end, and we got an important victory. An important victory because right now, we are closer to the first four spots and that is very important thinking ahead in the EuroLeague. I am very happy, congratulations to my players. I am very happy for this victory. I think we played pretty well. I think there is a moment where mistakes are hurting us but we are playing solid. That is why we stayed in the game when we looked so bad, and that is why we got some advantages playing well, but mistakes are hurting and that is something that we have to improve. But I think victories will help us.”