By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Previewing Game 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Quarterfinals best-of-five series pitting Real Madrid against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, head coach Pablo Laso pointed to experience as a key part of these kinds of games.
“It’s better to start a playoff with a win, but that game is now over and we are 1-0 up. We’ll face a difficult game and have to recover after the effort we put in. We can only make small tweaks,” mentioned Laso, “In these types of situations, experience counts for a great deal and I hope that it’s positive.”
The Whites beat the Israeli outfit for the 1-0 lead on Wednesday. Game 2, the 66th meeting between the storied sides, will be hosted at the same venue, WiZink Center, on Friday (20:45 CET). The team reaching three wins will clinch a berth in the Final Four.
Coming off a solid effort, Nigel Williams-Goss is excited to continue the best-of-five series. The American guard recorded 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists over 27 minutes in Game 1.
“I love these situations and big matches and big moments. We’ll have to be at our best and fight hard. This is the best part of the season and is what you prepare for,” he pointed out, “We now have to enjoy it and try and get as far as we can.”
After testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Gabriel Deck sat out Game 1. Both Thomas Heurtel and Trey Thompkins recently returned to practice but also missed the first meeting opposite Maccabi.
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net