By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Gabriel Deck and Theo Maledon are expected to be available for Real Madrid in Round 28 of the 2025–26 EuroLeague regular season, opposite Partizan Mozzart Bet at Belgrade Arena on Friday, following a report by insider Pilar Casado on Thursday.
Deck, 31, averaged 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.3 steals per contest over 24 appearances, including eight starts, before missing the last two fixtures of Europe’s premier club competition. Outside of a brief spell with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Argentine combo forward has been a constant for Los Blancos since 2018, becoming a veteran of 209 EuroLeague games and a champion in 2023.
Maledon, 24, has been out since Round 24 due to a thigh injury. Before the setback, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per contest over 21 games, including three starts. In total, the French combo guard has featured in 76 EuroLeague games across two separate spells with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and his newest assignment, in addition to appearing in 177 NBA contests.
With both players returning to action, likely on restricted minutes, head coach Sergio Scariolo currently has an empty injury report.
Conversely, the Belgrade outfit has officially listed Cameron Payne as a game-time decision, while Vanja Marinkovic (Achilles), Mario Nakic (knee), Shake Milton (hand), and Carlik Jones (ankle) remain sidelined.
Payne, 31, has tallied 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game over his first ten EuroLeague games, all of which were starts. A veteran of 549 NBA appearances, the former Murray State standout joined the Belgrade outfit in December.
At 16-11, the Spanish giants are currently tied for sixth in the EuroLeague standings, the lowest seed providing direct entry to the 2026 Playoffs. Meanwhile, the Serbian side carries a 9-18 record, leaving them six games out of the Play-In Showdown zone.