By Alex Madrid/ info@eurohoops.net
The “Whites” smashed Unicaja at home 89 – 57 in the duel among Spanish sides. The hosts are back to wins after a streak of three straight defeats while Joan Plaza’s men fell to a 3-5 record after Day 8 on EuroLeague.
The key: Nemanja Nedovic absence was more notable for Unicaja that all injured players were for Real. Nobody in Malaga’s roster had an important offensive performance. Dragan Milosavljevic and Alberto Díez had 10 points each for the guests.
The star: Luka Doncic paced the winners with a double-double. The Slovenian finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists despite not playing the last quarter. Rudy Fernández added 14 for the hosts.
Real Madrid showed its intentions ending a one-sided first quarter with a 14-3 run, while Unicaja was struggling to score (19 – 12). The Andalusians tried to reduce the deficit by changing their defense but Rudy Fernández and Luka Doncic managed to attack the zone with precision and efficiency. Pablo Laso’s players went to the break with a comfortable 13-point lead (40 – 27).
The visitors tried to improve their performance in the second half but not enough in order to cut the lead. With Doncic putting on a show, Real reached its biggest lead in the third quarter (62 – 38, 29′) and Jaycee Carroll three-pointers in the last period made the difference even bigger. The shooting guard led all scorers with 17 points.