By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The game was decided in the closing seconds. Crvena Zvezda almost made an admirable comeback, however, Madrid prevailed 78-72 and moved closer to the postseason.
Thanks to this result, Real Madrid has an 18-14 record and a tie with Barcelona, Anadolu Efes, Paris, and Crvena Zvezda between the 6th and the 10th position of the standings.
Edy Tavares, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, was the star of the winners, and the duo of Faccundo Campazzo and Sergio Llull added 11 points each.
On the other side, Codi Miller-McIntyre with 24 points was the only scorer in double digits, but missed the chance to be the hero in the closing seconds.
A thrilling end
Real Madrid has the habit of transforming for the better with the season on the line, and that was the case in Belgrade.
The “Whites” took advantage of their admirable defense and opened up the game leading 22-9 after the first period and extended their advantage to 15 points at halftime (42-27).
The hosts tried to come back, and at the end of the third quarter, they trailed by 10 points (55-45) but couldn’t do much more.
Madrid extended the lead again to 14 (59-45) at the start of the last period, and with two minutes left, Zvezda was still down by eight points (70-62).
With the game on the line, Sergio Llull made two key free throws to keep Madrid’s lead at seven (74-67), but what followed was five straight points by the hosts with 45 seconds on the clock (74-72).
Faccundo Campazzo was fouled and made the score 76-72. Codi Miller-McIntyre missed the next possession, and the game was over.
Photo credit: EuroLeague