Baskonia shocks Real Madrid
Baskonia recorded a stunning 95-94 upset victory over reigning Spanish Liga ACB champion Real Madrid on Sunday.
In a game featuring dramatic momentum shifts, with both clubs dominating for large stretches in the first half, it came down to the final second.
Tornike Shengelia clanked two free throws with 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Real Madrid trailed by one at that point.
Which put the ball in Sergio Lull’s hands at the other end for Real Madrid to decide the outcome. But Llull missed a 3-pointer to end the game.
Llull had tied it at 91-91 on a 3-pointer with under a minute remaining.
American point guard Pierria Henry paced 10th-place Baskonia (9-9) with 26 points, snared five rebounds, doled out three assists, and made two steals. Italian teammate Achille Polonara finished with 12 points and nine boards, while Youssoupha Fall had 16 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. Shengelia also scored 16 points, and Shannon Shields and Matthew Janning had nine apiece. Nik Stauskas maximized his playing time (15 minutes), with seven points and five assists.
Facundo Campazzo, the 2019 ACB Finals MVP, led Real Madrid with 27 points and dished out four assists. The Argentine canned a season-high seven 3-pointers out of eight attempts. Teammate Llull poured in 23 points, Gabriel Deck added 13, Fabien Causeur had 10 and Felipe Reyes eight. Walter Tavares hauled in a team-best eight rebounds.
With the loss, Real Madrid slipped to 14-4. It was Real Madrid’s first home loss since April 4, 2019.
Coach Pablo Laso’s squad shares the best record in the Spanish League with rival Barcelona, followed by Basket Zaragoza at 13-5.
Impressive start
Tavares and Usman Garuba played efficient defense in the early going by limiting Baskonia’s scoring chances inside.
At the other end, Deck, who drained two 3s in the opening period, and Campazzo, who put 13 points on the board, spearheaded a 15-2 spurt.
Real Madrid entered the second quarter with a 32-18 lead.
Baskonia’s spirited comeback
Baskonia overcame its 14-point deficit after the opening quarter by holding Real Madrid to a meager six second-quarter points.
As a result, bench boss Dusko Ivanovic’s squad took a 39-38 lead into halftime.
After three quarters, Baskonia led 63-60.
Real Madrid’s strong points
The hosts kept themselves in the game with exceptional 3-point shooting. They sank 15 of 25 shots from beyond the arc.
In addition, Real Madrid had a big advantage in free throws (21 of 27). By comparison, Baskonia made 9 of 12.
Key numbers for Baskonia
The visitors held a 34-26 overall advantage in rebounds.
What’s more, Baskonia earned the victory with a dominating inside performance on offense, outscoring the hosts 56-28 in the paint.
Baskonia converted 38 of 69 shot attempts (55.1 percent).
Recent struggles
On Thursday, Khimki handed Real Madrid its second consecutive defeat in the EuroLeague, a 102-94 decision. Prior to that setback, CSKA beat Laso’s men 60-55 on Jan. 14.
“We’ve been surviving a lot of in and out of players due to injuries during the months of December and January,” Laso acknowledged after Sunday’s game. “This has made us lose our rhythm and not allowed us to find a way to play good basketball.”
The veteran mentor said his team must persevere and find a way to get back on track.
“We have to look forward regardless of the victories and defeats,” Laso said. “The result does not say that everything is wrong. There are individual aspects like concentration that we have to improve. Our obligation is to try and play better every day.”