Amazing Madrid provides showtime, thrashes Efes

Real Madrid remained undefeated in Group B and provided plenty of showtime at both ends by simply overwhelming Anadolu Efes Istanbul 103-57 in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. Madrid leads Group B with a 5-0 record, while Efes dropped to 3-2. Ioannis Bourousis paced the winners with 17 points on 3-of-3 three-point shooting and 7 rebounds. Sergio Rodriguez needed less than 20 minutes to score 14 points and dish 11 assists, many of them feeding teammates for jaw-dropping alley-oop dunks. Nikola Mirotic and Jaycee Carroll also had 14 points apiece, Sergio Llull added 10 while Felipe Reyes pulled down 10 rebounds for Madrid. Scotty Hopson led Efes with 13 points off the bench. Kostas Vasileiadis added 11 and Stanko Barac had 10 for the guests, who were outrebounded 45-29 and picked up 17 turnovers. Madrid had a total performance index rating of 155 - the seventh highest in Euroleague history and the best since 2007. Mirotic and Bourousis combined for 15 first-quarter points to give Madrid a 19-13 lead at the end of the third quarter. An outstanding Rodriguez got plenty of help from Carroll and Marcus Slaughter to break the game open, 47-23 at halftime. Nothing changed from that moment, as Madrid coasted to a great win.

First quarter: Bourousis, offensive rebounds give Madrid the lead

Bourousis got Madrid going with a tip-in and a three-pointer by Mirotic gave his team a 5-0 lead. Dusko Savanovic answered from downtown, as Efes tried to run its offense through him from the very beginning. Bourousis kept pacing Los Blancos with a put-back layup that Zoran Planinic matched with a quick basket. Efes kept missing open shots while a driving layup by Rudy Fernandez and another three-pointer by Mirotic boosted the hosts' lead to 12-5. Vasileiadis banked in a mid-range jumper that an unstoppable Mirotic erased with a put-back basket. Tadija Dragicevic stepped up with a second-chance layup, but Bourousis beat the shot clock with a bomb from downtown, good for a 17-9 Madrid margin. Hopson dunked off a steal and a big basket by Dragicevic brought Efes within 17-13. Llull made free throws to restore a 19-13 Madrid lead at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter: Sergio Rodriguez presents showtime in Madrid!

Birkan Batuk shined with a big basket in penetration early in the second quarter, but Bourousis bettered that with his second three-pointer. After Fernandez made free throws, Hopson dunked. A three-pointer by Llull made it a double-digit game, 27-17. Rodriguez found Slaughter for a wild alley-oop slam in traffic, forcing Efes to stop the game at 29-17. Slaughter split free throws and Rodriguez sent a no-look pass to Carroll for a reverse layup. Hopson sank a long two-pointer that an unstoppable Rodriguez bettered with a layup-plus-foul and free throws to break the game open, 36-19. Slaughter ignited the crowd with a huge alley-oop slam. Hopson provided a highlight with a big basket, but Rodriguez scored again for a 40-21 Madrid lead. Carroll struck from downtown and free throws by Fernandez made it a 24-point game. A coast-to-coast layup by Rodriguez and a buzzer-beating layup by Jamon Gordon fixed the halftime score at 47-23.

Third quarter: Hosts protect wide margin

Both teams struggled to score after the break until Semih Erden stepped up with a layup. Dontaye Draper answered from downtown and a wild fast break layup by Mirotic boosted Los Blancos' lead to 52-25. Barac hit his trademark four-meter jumper, which Draper erased with an off-balance driving layup. Mirotic fed Bourousis for a fast break dunk and a three-pointer by Hopson brought Efes a bit closer, 56-30. Bourousis hit his third three-pointer and added free throws to extend the lead into the 30s. Barac dunked, but Llull bettered that with a corner triple, good for a 64-32 Madrid lead. After Hopson fed Barac for an uncontested dunk, Mirotic made free throws. A big slam by Hopson kept Efes within 66-36. Dragicevic and Mirotic traded jumpers. Vasileadis buried a three-pointer. Free throws by Llull kept Madrid way ahead, 70-41. Vasileiadis struck again from downtown and Dragicevic dunked to bring Efes within 70-46.

Fourth quarter: Excellent Madrid marches to another big win

Fernandez fed Salah Mejri for a huge alley-oop slam early in the fourth quarter. Carroll struck from downtown before Gordon shined with an acrobatic driving layup. Soon Gordon added a jumper. Rodriguez fired in one from downtown and found Mejri for yet another alley-oop slam for a 30-point Madrid margin with seven minutes left. Rodriguez hit 3 free throws, but Vasileiadis matched that with a corner triple. Tremmell Darden hit a baseline jumper and a three by Carroll ignited the crowd at 88-53. Rodriguez nailed a close jumper before Carroll hit a bomb from downtown to make it a 40-point game, 93-53. Rodriguez found Mejri for yet another alley-oop slam, as Madrid continued to excel on defense. Felipe Reyes scored down low and fed Slaughter for an alley-oop tip-in. Barac swished a baseline jumper. but it was too little, too late, as Madrid fans had a lot of fun and witnessed a historic win.