By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With six players scoring double figures, Real Madrid beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 91 – 79 at home to return to wins and improve its record to 13 – 3.
“We just kept playing. We improved our defense in the second half. I think we moved the ball better in offense and we began 2019 with a victory,” Real Madrid guard Sergio Llull said after the match.
Llull finished with a double-double of 11 points (all in the second half) and a season-high 10 assists and together with Gustavo Ayon (18 points, nine rebounds) and Rudy Fernandez (13 points, five rebounds) were the main figures in Real’s win.
Despite Tarik Black’s absence and an early injury issue with Scottie Wilbekin, Maccabi had managed to create many problems to Real in the first half with well-calculated half court offenses and solid execution courtesy of Michael Roll (14 points with 4/4 triples in the first half, 23 overall plus five assists and four rebounds). But everything changed after the break.
With the score 44 – 44, the previously scoreless Llull dropped eight points in six minutes and along with Facu Campazzo (11 points) and Anthony Randolph (11 points), pushed Real towards taking a 14-point lead, 64 – 50.
Roll and Alex Tyus (season-high 17 points and eight rebounds) brought Maccabi back in the match and then DeAndre Kane hit the 3-pointer for the 69 – 65 early in the fourth quarter. That was the closer the “Yellows” got though since some decisive two-way action by Rudy gave Real a double-digit lead again.
With five minutes to go, the “Blancos” made it a 15-point game, 82 – 67. Maccabi was unable to become threatening again and suffered a loss that dropped them to 5 – 11.
Trey Thompkins added 12 points and Anthony Randolph 11 for Real.