By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Not so long ago, on January 4th, Barcelona beat Real Madrid in an ACB League game at Movistar Arena.
The Spanish giants met again on the same court, but this time in the EuroLeague Clasico, and Sergio Scariolo’s side exacted revenge, recording a commanding 80–61 victory in front of their fans in the capital.
It was Usman Garuba who made the difference, scoring a season-high 16 points on 6/7 shooting from the field, after previously averaging just 3.8 points per game in the EuroLeague. Walter Tavares dominated under the rim with 11 points and six rebounds, posting a game-high PIR of 20, while Mario Hezonja and Gabriel Deck added 12 points each for Real Madrid.
On the other side, Dario Brizuela finished as Barcelona’s top scorer with 13 points, Nico Laprovittola followed with 12, while Tornike Shengelia added 10 points.
The Blancos dominated the glass, outrebounding Barcelona 36-28, but the biggest difference came in assists: Real Madrid dished out 21 compared to Barcelona’s nine. The Catalan side also struggled from beyond the arc, going just 4/18, while the hosts shot a respectable 9/23.
The hosts were in control pretty much from the get-go, opening the match with a 10-2 run. Even though Barca recovered and responded, Real Madrid kept the upper hand, eventually building a double-digit lead of 29-19 after a few minutes in the second period.
Scariolo’s team went into the break leading 43-31, but Barcelona pushed once again and trimmed the deficit to 45-40 midway through the third quarter. However, the Blancos had a ready answer, going on a 10-0 run and pulling away once again. They entered the final period with a 63-47 lead, then Garuba notched seven straight points to open the fourth quarter. After Lyles’ three-pointer made it 73-54 with less than six minutes left, it was clear Real was on the road to a big win.
Madrid managed the closing minutes, kept the distance, and recorded a convincing victory, improving to 14-8 and jumping over their arch-rivals in the EuroLeague standings with the identical record, but holding a 2-0 advantage in head-to-head matchups.