Real Madrid downed Olympiacos 82-68
Real Madrid rejoined the fight to win Turkish Airlines Euroleague Group B by downing Olympiacos 82-68 in the Spanish capital on Thursday. Both teams tie for first place in Group B at 4-2, but Olympiacos would have the tie-break advantage due to its 16-point win in the Euroleague Opening Game in the Pireaus. Sergio Rodriguez led the winners with 19 points and 6 assists. Sergio Llull added 16 points, Ante Tomic had 12 while Felipe Reyes got 10 for Madrid. Reigning Euroleague MVP Milos Teodosic led Olympiacos with 21 points. Vassilis Spanoulis added 11 while Rasho Nesterovic and Loukas Mavrokefalidis each had 10 for the Reds, that trailed all the way from the opening basket. A three-pointer by Jorge Garbajosa gave Madrid a 24-14 lead after 10 minutes. Madrid managed to keep a safe lead throughout the game and an outstanding Rodriguez made the difference in the fourth quarter, allowing the hosts to seal the outcome, 76-62, with 3 minutes to go. Olympiacos kept trying but Madrid had cruised to a well-deserved win.
Olympiacos had a slow start of the game, missing its 8 opening shots against Madrid's fully-adjusted defense. Meanwhile, Rodriguez sank a jumper and Reyes copied him soom after that for a 4-0 Madrid lead. Teodosic got the Reds going with a layup that Tomic matched with a big basket. Nesterovic tried to change things with a dunk and Kostas Papanikolaou matched Carlos Suarez's layup with an easy basket for a 8-6 score. Tomic followed free throws with a jump hook to make Olympiacos call timeout at 12-6. Llull sank a corner three-pointer and even when Bourousis scored in transition, free throws by Suarez kept Madrid way ahead, 17-8. Mavrokefalidis stepped up for the Reds but Garbajosa did not miss from the foul line and bettered Clay Tucker's jumper with his classic three-pointer in transition for a 24-12 Madrid lead. Free throws by Spanoulis fixed the score at 24-14 after 10 minutes.
Pablo Prigioni returned to action at the start of the second quarter, allowing Madrid to slow down the game tempo. Mavrokefalidis scored around the basket but a layup by D'or Fischer restored a double-digit Madrid lead, 26-16. Mavrokefalidis shined with a power layup and Marko Keselj soon added free throws but a fallaway jumper by Tucker kept Madrid way ahead, 28-20. Mavrokefalidis buried a mid-range jumper that Teodosic added a wild driving layup that got the Reds within 28-24. Reyes followed a five-meter jumper with a tip-in to keep Madrid out of trouble at 32-24. Keselj and Suarez traded three-pointers but Tomic scored around the basket for a 37-27 score. A technical foul on coach Ettore Messina allowed Nesterovic and Teodosic to get the Reds within 37-31. Rodriguez followed a six-meter shot with a triple but Teodosic answered from downtown for a 42-34 Olympiacos deficit at halftime.
Llull took over with a fast break layup right after the break, as Olympiacos had started to power the offensive board. Papanikoalou finished a two-chance with a reverse layup but Reyes scored in the other end for a 46-36 score. Rodriguez sank a running jumper and found Tomic for a basket that made it a 12-point game, 50-38. Nesterovic stepped up with a jump hook and a turnaround jumper but an open triple by Prigioni boosted Madrid's margin to 53-42. Spanoulis split free throws and added a floating layup to give the Reds some hope at 53-45. Llull fired in a shot from downtown but free throws by Spanoulis and a three-pointer by Teodosic kept Olympiacos as close as 57-50. The Reds had improved their defense right when it mattered but kept committing turnovers. Llull split free throws to give Madrid a 58-50 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Olympiacos tried to play more physical early in the fourth quarter but the guests picked up 3 quick fouls to their aggressivity in defense. Spanoulis made free throws for a 58-52 score but an uncontested dunk by Tomic and another triple by Llull sent the crowd to their feet at 63-52. Olympiacos called a much-needed timeout but Madrid stayed focused in defense and free throws by Rodriguez made it a 13-point game, 65-52. Teodosic tried to change things a layup but Fischer bettered it with a three-point play. Theo Papaloukas shined with a reverse layup that Llull matched with free throws. Teodosic struck from downtown and traded free throws with Reyes for a 72-61 score. Olympiacos struggled to score right when it mattered and back-to-back layups by Rodriguez sealed the outcome, 76-62, with under 3 minutes. Both teams now fought for points differential, as the Reds registered a 16-point win in Game 1. Rodriguez hit free throws for a 80-64 score. A jumper by Mavrokefalidis and free throws by Spanoulis allowed Olympiacos to keep the tie-break advantage.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Euroleague.net