Real routs UNICS at home
In a postponed game from Round 19, Real Madrid kept its great momentum going by beating UNICS Kazan 85-68 in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. Real improved to 17-3 to remains atop the standings and is on a six-game winning streak. UNICS dropped to 12-8. Walter Tavares led the winners with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele added 13 points and Alberto Abalde and Sergio Llull each had 11 for Real. Tonye Jekiri and Lorenzo Brown led UNICS with 13 points apiece and Mario Hezonja and O.J. Mayo each scored 10 for the visitors. Lorenzo Brown and John Brown stepped up for UNICS early but Sergio Llull struck three times from downtown late in the first quarter for a 21-14 Real lead after 10 minutes. Rudy Fernandez, Tavares and Anthony Randolph helped Real break the game open, 47-31, at halftime. Little changed after the break and Los Blancos marched to victory.
Alberto Abalde got Real going with a three-pointer. Lorenzo Brown answered from downtown before John Brown followed a dunk with a fastbreak layup for a 5-7 UNICS lead. Lorenzo Brown sank his second triple and added a driving layup, but Nigel Williams-Goss brought the hosts within 10-12. Yabusele took over with a fastbreak basket that Mayo erased with a jumper coming off a screen. Llull swished a three-pointer, sank another one in transition off a steal from Yabusele and ended the first quarter with his trademark rainbow shot from beyond the arc, giving Real a 21-14 margin after 10 minutes.
Tavares took over with a three-point play early in the second quarter. Jekiri stepped up for UNICS and Hezonja sank a corner triple, but Fernandez did even better with a four-point play for a 28-19 cushion. Lorenzo Brown hit a floater, but Fernandez matched it with a driving layup and Vincent Poirier added a jump hook that caused UNICS to call timeout at 32-21. Hezonja followed a three-pointer with a reverse alley-oop slam and soon added a fast break slam to get within 35-28. Fernandez insisted from downtown and Abalde added a layup for a 41-29 Real lead. Tavares took over with a three-point play and Randolph struck from beyond the arc to fix the halftime score at 47-31.
Tavares scored around the basket soon after the break and Yabusele bettered Jekiri's jumper with a bomb from downtown for a 52-34 lead. Lorenzo Brown tried to change things with a coast-to-coast layup, but Yabusele insisted from beyond the arc and Abalde added a follow-up layup, causing the guests to stop the game at 57-36. Tavares dunked and a red-hot Yabusele followed his third triple with a put-back layup, giving Los Blancos a 64-38 margin. Andrey Vorontsevich and Isaiah Canaan stepped up for the visitors, but Tavares dunked again, Thomas Heurtel sank a three-pointer and Llull scored in transition for a 71-43 Real lead. Heurtel improved his team's margin to 74-45 after 30 minutes.
Poirier dunked to make it a 31-point game early in the fourth quarter. It effectively sealed the game's outcome, as UNICS kept struggling to organize its offense. Meanwhile, Real used a different lineup with Carlos Alocen at point guard and Randolph playing alongside Poirier. Jekiri followed a layup with a jumper and then Mayo hit back-to-back triples to bring UNICS a bit closer, 78-55. Trey Thompkins quickly answered with 5 quick points and Abalde also struck from beyond the arc for an 86-58 Real margin. Little changed in the final 3 minutes as Los Blancos cruised to victory.
Llull catches fire against UNICS
Real Madrid did not find much trouble to beat UNICS Kazan 85-68 in a postponed game from Round 19. Real dominated the game from the final minutes of the third quarter, in which Sergio Llull brought out his best version, that of a superstar able to make impossible shots regularly. O.J. Mayo made a jumper that gave UNICS its last lead, 12-14. Llull picked up a great pass from Guerschon Yabusele to make a three-pointer. Yabusele rolled on the floor to collect a steal and Llull got the ball in transition and stopped at the three-point line to hit another shot. He buried his third three-pointer in 103 seconds with a high-arching one over Tonye Jekiri to beat the first-quarter buzzer. All of a sudden, Real had a 21-14 margin and was well on its way to winning the game.
Tavares returns and dominates
It was his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game in 2022 and Walter Tavares made sure his presence was noticed on the floor, leading Real Madrid to an 85-68 victory against UNICS Kazan. Tavares returned to action and dominated at both ends, showcasing his best version. He finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-8 two-point shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 on free throws. Tavares added 11 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the season and also had an assist, a steal, a block and 7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 28. As always, Tavares forced the opposing big men to change their game, trying to get him out of the paint, because he brought his A-game and that usually makes him unstoppable.
Real dominates the boards against UNICS
Real Madrid grabbed its 17th win in 20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season games by downing UNICS Kazan 85-68 at WiZink Center. Los Blancos dominated the boards, in what was the biggest key to this game. Real outrebounded UNICS 41-25, pulling down 12 offensive boards. Once again, UNICS was aggressive in the passing lanes, collecting 11 steals, but struggled in all other hustle stats, drawing just 12 fouls and grabbing just 4 offensive rebounds. The lack of second-chance opportunities prevented UNICS from competing for the win after the first quarter and Walter Tavares's solid performance (14 points, 11 rebounds) did the rest.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Euroleague.net