By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid put 38 points on Crvena Zvezda in the first quarter and finished with 17 three-pointers in a 105–84 win in Round 11 of the EuroLeague.
Zvezda came to Madrid allowing fewer points per game than any team in the competition. By halftime, Real had already scored 56.
“We started well, shot the ball extremely well and defended well,” Martínez said after the game, as reported by AS. “We built a good lead in the first quarter. The second was tougher. We turned the ball over and they cut the gap. We played well in the second half. Overall, it was a very solid performance.”
Zvezda cut a 24-point deficit to seven in the second quarter, but Madrid restored a 15-point lead by halftime and stretched it to 23 by the end of the third. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot led the way with 22 points and Gabriele Procida added 19 as Madrid shot 17-for-36 from deep.
Madrid did it without Facundo Campazzo, Théo Maledon, Gabriel Deck, Mikael Jantunen and Usman Garuba. Martínez saw the performance as a reflection of the depth he still had available.
“I don’t think we should get carried away. We’re Real Madrid. We have a good team, good players and a deep roster to handle these situations,” he said. “Of course we miss the players who are out, but we trust the ones who are here. Complaining can even be a little disrespectful to the players who are available.”
Nick Smith Jr. was a case in point. He had stayed on the bench against UCAM Murcia on Sunday, then started against Zvezda and scored 13 points.
“The other day he didn’t play, and today he started,” Martínez said. “We play a lot of games and we need everybody.”
Make 
Your Preferred Basketball Source.
Add Eurohoops to Google