By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid was more determined, able and consistent in the second half against Khimki Moscow, getting the victory (83 – 70) and checking its ticket to the Euroleague playoffs. The reigning champions will now face Fenerbahce, in a series where the Turkish team possesses the home-court advantage. Meanwhile, the Russian team faced an elimination from Euroleague’s next stage, definitely a disappointing one, considering the high standards that had been set in the beginning of the season.
Two completely different stories took place in the game, one in each half. While both teams torched the baskets in the first 20 minutes (54-49), turning a knock-out battle into a scoring fiesta, things took an opposite direction after the players returned from the locker rooms. The hosts received only three points in eight minutes, grabbing a 14-point lead (66-52) which set the foundations for their upcoming victory.
A 0-6 run by Khimki Moscow in the end of the third period made no difference on the long run, since it was immediately countered with five personal points by Jaycee Carroll. The American shooting guard was his team’s first scorer, dropping 23 points on his opponents, while Felipe Reyes (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Sergio Rodriguez (10 points, 10 assists) also held the Madridistas’ flag high. Their baskets made it 83 – 66, three minutes before the end of the game, in a moment when their opponents’ attempts for a comeback were too lackluster to change anything.
Tyrese Rice led Khimki Moscow on the scoreboard, but he recorded 22 of his 24 points in the first half. His and his teammates’ guns were greatly silenced afterwards. Generally, the guests were painfully off-target in the third and fourth quarter, despite finding good open looks to the basket. That complete lack of firepower costed them dearly, since Real Madrid always remained more than one step ahead of them until the end.