By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
It was a special night at the WiZink Center as the defending EuroLeague champions, Real Madrid, hosted their former player, Luka Doncic, and the NBA franchise Dallas Mavericks. The Spanish side secured a 127-123 victory after 48 minutes of basketball spectacle in front of a thrilled audience in the Spanish capital.
This was the ninth match for Real Madrid against NBA teams and their third win. The first win since 2016, when they prevailed over the Oklahoma City Thunder while Doncic was still playing for the European giants.
Slovenian star, unfortunately, had a minor role due to a calf injury, spending less than five minutes on the court and scoring nine points.
“I’ve cheered up a bit because of the comeback, a bit too much. Comebacks are something special at Real Madrid; you can never count Real Madrid out, and they’ve seen it today,” Luka said after the game, reassuring Dallas’ fans his injury is not serious. “Yesterday, I felt discomfort and didn’t want to push it. But the injury is not anything serious.”
Facundo Campazzo apparently had a point to prove, as the Mavs didn’t hold onto him at the beginning of last season. He finished the match with 20 points, eight assists, and six rebounds to lead Chus Mateo’s side to victory.
Vincent Poirier had a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds for the winning side, while Sergio Llull also scored 19 points. Guerschon Yabusele also had a great performance with 18 points and nine boards, while Rudy Fernandez added 14 points.
As for the Mavs, who also played without Kyrie Irving due to a minor injury, Tim Hardaway Jr. led the scoring with 21 points, while former Barcelona and Partizan player Dante Exum was an assist shy of a double-double, scoring 13 points. Dwight Powell and Seth Curry also added 13 points each for the losing NBA side.
After a spectacular first quarter and a total of 75 points scored, Dallas started pulling away in the second period and went into the halftime break, leading 71-65. The Mavs stayed in front throughout the entire third period, but Real Madrid refused to back down and managed to turn the score around in the dying minutes. Campazzo had the final word, with his three-pointer in the last minute sealing the deal for the hosts.