By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The third take of the ACB finals brought Real Madrid one step closer to winning the championship. The hosts managed a reassuring 91-74 win, which gives them a 2-1 advantage in the series, while game 4 will also take place in Madrid.
For Real, Llull scored 21 points, while Fernandez followed with 18 and Ayon with 12. Tomic’s and Doellman‘s notable performances with 18 and 17 points each weren’t enough to give Barcelona a satisfying result in the first game in Madrid.
Real’s rotation helped them take the lead early on with 8-2, while the visitors answered quick with Satoransky. Navarro then accidentally fell on Jaycee Carroll and the latter fell and hurt his ankle. The player was then carried off the court with the help of his teammates. Ayon and Tomic both dominated in their territory halfway through the first period, as Satoransky and Llull drilled threes to push the score to 14-11. Thompkins fired the game up with another three (20-15) and the first quarter ended in the hosts favor, 29-21.
The second quarter began emphatically, but the pressure on court was obvious. Real’s game was just as aggressive as it should be to maintain the deficit, while Barcelona had to run in order to cover it. However, Real prevented any attempt for a fast break. At 13’, Barcelona surprised the hosts by breaking through the low post defense, but Real reacted quickly. With notable dedication in defense, the hosts outnumbered Barcelona by the end of the first half, 54-41.
After the break, Doellman took charge, giving Barcelona some easy points from inside the paint. Taylor then went all in for a dunk and fired up the Madrilenians in the arena! With a 12-point advantage, Real managed to stay on top of the game at 25′ (62-50). Navarro’s time to shine came, but soon enough Rudy answered with back-to-back baskets. Maciulis and Thompkins added more threes and Real could breathe a little bit easier! After 30 minutes, the score was 77-58.
As the final period rolled in, Real kept the deficit to double digits all along, despite Barcelona’s few attempts to return to the game. With just 4 minutes left, the visitors reduced to 13 points, but that couldn’t change the fate of the game.