By Stefan Djordjevic / info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda mts was off to a great start but the experienced Real Madrid turned the tables for a 73-67 road win in Round 8 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Real Madrid improved to 4-4 while Zvezda holds a 3-5 record.
Trey Thompkins scored 14 points for the victors while Anthony Randolph followed with 13. Jaycee Carroll added nine points as did Sergio Llull.
For Zvezda, Jordan Loyd banked in 22 points in addition to Corey Walden’s 16. Johnny O’Bryant logged seven points and eight rebounds.
The home squad entered the game guns blazing with apparent high energy and motivation since minute one. Loyd scored eight points rather quickly while Walden joined in on the run off the bench. On the other side, Real Madrid seemed totally out of rhythm with lots of turnovers and their primary ball-handler in Facundo Campazzo couldn’t get anything going.
One can only wonder if this game would have gotten away from Real completely (21-8), had the stands been filled up to match and increase the energy seen on the floor by the red-and-whites. However, the Spaniards managed to stay close thanks to a solid effort by Thompkins and Carroll, trailing 42-36 at halftime.
“I think in our first half, we had a lot of errors, mistakes that they really punished us for. The best thing probably was being only six points down at halftime without control of the game, because of our turnovers and our mistakes defensively,” Laso said.
Zvezda didn’t use its momentum to the fullest potential and as it usually happens when an experienced and mentally strong squad such as Real Madrid gets a second chance at victory, they took over in the second half with an 18-4 run (46-54) thanks to Lull and Walter Tavares’s presence on defense as well shots landing from all over the floor.
Although Loyd and Walden kept the hope alive for Zvezda, even giving it the lead back (65-64) with four minutes left, Thompkins banked two straight three off a time out by coach Pablo Laso (70-65) which pushed Real Madrid to victory.
“We just played together and trusted each other. We’ve been together for a long time, so we know that we can depend on each other, and it worked this time. Fighting is the only way you can win here,” Thompkins noted after the heroic performance.