By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Sergio Llull became the all-time leader in games player with Real Madrid‘s jersey and the “Whites” simply couldn’t lose on that night. Real Madrid got the 92-71 win over Bayern Munich, remaining the team to beat in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
The Spanish powerhouse leads the race in the standings with an 18-2 record, while Bayern dropped to 8-12, two wins behind the play-in line.
Vincent Poirier scored 18 points, Mario Hezonja finished the night with 17 points, and Dzanan Mousa added 16 points for the winning side, while Sylvain Fransisco with 14 points was the top scorer of Bayern.
“I think we had a pretty solid game”, said Poirier talking about the goal of repeating, “We know our weakness, we are still working, we are focused and we know that those wins, in the end, may not mean much”.
“It’s good, but it’s not enough”, added Real Madrid coach Chuss Matteo after their ninth road win Real Madrid, repeating what his center said: “We need to keep working and keep improving”.
Madrid never trailed in the game, and the best that Bayern could do was to trail by one point in the first quarter. After leading by nine (45-36) and by 11 (64-53) at the end of the second and the third period respectively, the hosts tried to react.
They did trim the lead to five (70-65) with five minutes left, but Alberto Abalde answered back with a three (73-65) and an assist for Poirier (75-65) finishing the game.
History made by Llull
It was the game no. 1047 in all competition for Sergio Llull with Real Madrid’s jersey, breaking the record of retired ex-captain Felipe Reyes. He entered the court two minutes before the end of the first quarter to register the record and finished the night with 13 points, playing against his former coach Pablo Laso.
“In the important moments, we didn’t execute well but we are talking about a team of great quality, which was better in everything”, added Laso about Bayern after the final buzzer.
The game was dedicated by Bayern to football great Franz Beckenbauer who died two days ago at 78 years of age. Nicknamed the “Kaizer”, Beckenbauer was an iconic figure for the club, tied with the era that made Bayern a football dynasty.
A moment of silence for the Kaiser before our game against @RMBaloncesto.@FCBayernUS @FCBayernES @EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/2xg36ITFFs
— FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) January 9, 2024
The players of both teams warmed up on special t-shirts commemorating his memory and a moment of silence was kept before the tipoff.
PHOTO CREDIT: EuroLeague
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