By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Thanks to the Slovenian youngster’s efforts, the “Blancos” are now leading the standings with a 16 – 5 record. Meanwhile, the Basques fell to the seventh place at 12 – 5.
The bulk of Doncic’s new show came in a timely manner as well. The 17-year-old wonder-boy dropped 9 consecutive points in the beginning of the fourth quarter to help Real Madrid enter the final stretch with a double digit lead, 57 – 68 with 4 minutes to go.
Rodrigue Beaubois (20 points) and Johannes Voigtmann (10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists), Baskonia’s top players in the match, tried to make their team more dangerous but their guests kept a safe distance until the end.
Real Madrid held control of the match in its vast majority, being always in front after the beginning of the second quarter when their opponents made it 18 – 16. The key defense on most of Sito Alonso’s main weapons, like Shane Larkin (5 points, 2/11 shots, 3 assists), Andrea Bargnani failing to get involved (5 points in 12 minutes) and the lack of perimeter threats (8/30 three-pointers) kept Baskonia’s offense in low standards.
It’not like the Madridistas were much more sufficient, especially from beyond the arc (6/26). But they managed to find extra solutions inside the paint and apart from Doncic, receive precious helps in the faces Jeffery Taylor (16 points, 4 rebounds) and Gustavo Ayon (11 points, 4 assists).