Euroleague: Real Madrid and Barcelona up 2-0

Euroleague

The Spanish clubs FC Regal Barcelona and Real Madrid are both up 2-0 in the Quarterfinals of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and are one step closer in setting up an “El Clasico” match-up with  each other in the semis. Real Madrid won over Greek powerhouse Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus 82-77. Meanwhile, Barcelona dispatched with Turkish TBL team Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul in a convincing 84-63 victory.

Real Madrid came out strong and put up a solid first period with their offense running on all four cylinders. They finished ahead of the Red and Whites by seven, 30-23. The second quarter saw more pages of the same story as Madrid finished the first half up by nine points, 53-44. Olympiacos rallied in the third quarter, but was only able to cut the lead by one point. Alas, Olympiacos could not mount enough offense in the final period and ended up falling to the Spanish club by five.

As they’ve done throughout the competition, Madrid employed their fast paced and exciting offensive style of play. Their shots were falling this night as they nailed 52.4% of their shots from three-point range and 50.9% overall from the field. They also were able to take care of business in the paint, finishing with double Olympiacos’ blocks with a total of six for the game.

Ironically it was Madrid’s Greek import, Ioannis Bourousis, who led them with a commendable double-double output for the night. He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, going 8-13 from the field. His noticeable presence down low was a key factor in his team’s win. Rudy Fernandez added 15 points and six rebounds, while Nikola Mirotic chipped in 14 points of his own.

Olympiacos failed to convert a total of 12 shots from the free-throw line, another aspect of their game that was lacking for the night. Their leading scorers for the game, Vassilis Spanoulis (19) and Matt Lojeski (13) missed a combined five free-throw attempts out of a total of 14.

Barcelona vs. Galatasaray

In the other Euroleague game, Barca stymied Galatasaray from the opening whistle. They burst out of the gates in the first quarter 21-8 and did not look back. It took the embattled Turkish club too long to get their bearings and even when they appeared to have finally focused, it was too late. Barca built on their early gains and their opponents were just flailing in quick sand as each quarter ticked by.

It was an off night indeed for Galatasaray. Only two players were able to score in double figures. Henry Domercant led them with 11 off the bench, while Ender Arslan added 10 points from the starting five.

Conversely, Barcelona had five players score in double figures as they shared the ball well, dishing out 11 more assists than their beleaguered opponents. Brad Oleson led Barca with a game-high 14 points, Alejandro Abrines added 13 and Marcelinho Huertas contributed 12 points to lead the reserve unit.

While both quarterfinal series aren’t over just yet, both Spanish clubs appear to be in good shape and look as if they’ve managed to figure out how to move on to the next stage.

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