By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Toney Douglas carried Darussafaka to a comeback and nailed the triple to tie the game in the last minute but Real Madrid kept their cool from the free throw line and secured an 86-82 road win in Round 21 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Trey Thompkins and Anthony Randolph scored 15 points each while Jaycee Carroll added 12 in addition to Klemen Prepelic’s ten points.
For Darussafaka, Douglas had a great night with 27 points (6-11 triples) followed by Jeremy Evans’ double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Randolph (11), Prepelic (10) and Thompkins (13) reached double-digits in the first half as they pushed Real Madrid, which nailed eight shots from deep, to the 53-38 halftime lead. The Spaniards’ paint control also played a big role and it would’ve been much worse for Darussafaka was it not for Douglas who kept them alive with 15 points.
Real completely ‘lost the touch’ from behind the arc (0-9) after the break but Jaycee Carroll banked nine points in the third quarter keeping them ahead (72-59). However, Douglas and Evans pushed the Turkish team which opened the last period with a 10-2 run and eventually reached a tie at 82 but couldn’t completely turn the tables as the guests got away with a win.
Coach Selcuk Ernak respected his players’ effort: “Congratulations to my players for their hustle, I respected that. But if you want to beat the European champion, you can’t allow 53 points in the first half. And inside the paint, we can’t give up 35 points with the layups, without interception. In the second half, the picture was clear and completely different. We were there until the last possession but couldn’t win the game.”
Real improved to 17-4 but at a cost as Sergio Llull had to leave the floor in the second quarter due to discomfort in his leg after a layup. Darussafaka, on the other hand, stayed at the bottom of the standings with a 3-18 record.
“He had a bit of muscle problem in the groin during the week and we didn’t want to force him. He wasn’t feeling well in the game so we preferred to rest him. I hope it’s nothing serious. It’s stupid to force him in this situation because it could become something more dangerous”, coach Pablo Laso explained Llull’s situation.
Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague