By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid started the season with many doubts, but the “Whites” proved in Istanbul that they are back on track for good.
The Spanish side got the 85-71 win against the top team in the standings after an impressive performance and climbed to an 8-3 record, while Fenerbahce dropped to 9-2.
Dzanan Musa with 18 points and Walter Tavares with 17 were the leaders of a balanced offensive effort. Gabriel Deck added 12 points for the winning side.
“What the head coach says is that the best thing for us is to share the ball all night. We became that kind of team for the last month and a half, and we are proud of how we [have] built this chemistry between us”, said Musa after the game.
As Madrid coach, Chus Mateo added: “We were very good on offense. Our shooting percentages were pretty high. We made very good decisions and I am proud of my players”.
Tavares who finished the night with 7/7 FG gave also credit to his teammates: “They give me the ball [close to] the basket, so it’s easy for me to score under the basket. They made great passes, so I had just to finish. They did the hard part and I just finished”.
To be exact, the Spaniards shot 70% in two-pointers and 44% in threes and there was no answer from Fenerbahce to that kind of performance.
The guests started the game with a 25-16 lead and never looked back after that, having a 12-point halftime advantage (46-34) and entering the last quarter with a 14-point cushion (68-54).
Fenerbahce playing without injured Scottie Wilbekin got 20 points from Jonathan Motley and 15 from Devin Booker.
“Real Madrid respected us a lot and that’s why they played very aggressively”, said Fenerbahce coach Dimitris Itoudis.
“They shot the ball very well, especially at the beginning of the third quarter. We managed to kind of come back twice, but we didn’t manage to contain their two-point percentages; 70% is a huge percentage, even though we put up a fight. They were dominant on the glass and our three-pointer shooting today was not at the level we want to be.”