2020-21Regular SeasonRound 31
March 25, 2021 CET: 20:45
Local time: 20:45 ASTROBALLE

Real boosts playoffs hopes with hard-fought win

Real Madrid boosted its playoff chances with a hard-earned 71-74 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, eliminating the French team from post-season contention. ASVEL enjoyed the better of a closely contested first half, taking a 37-32 lead into the break. Real battled back with a 2-15 run after the break and led nearly all the rest of the way, holding firm on defense for a vital victory. Trey Thompkins paced the victors with 13 points, with Nico Laprovittola adding 12 and Alberto Abalde scoring 11. ASVEL’s Norris Cole led all scorers with 18 points. Guerschon Yabusele and David Lighty both netted 13 and Antoine Diot 12 in defeat. Real improved to 18-13 to ensure it will finish the week in the playoff zone, while ASVEL’s chances are now mathematically zero as it dropped to 12-18.

Thompkins, Laprovittola and Jeffery Taylor scored inside to send Real ahead, but Diot and Yabusele struck from deep for a 6-6 tie. Thompkins and Garuba kept the visitors strong inside the paint before 5 points from Cole made it 11-10 for ASVEL. Lighty’s deep strike was answered by Laprovittola, before dunks from Taylor and Gabriel Deck sent Real back ahead, 16-19. ASVEL responded with Diot’s triple and Amine Noua’s driving score, and Paul Lacombe beat the buzzer to make it 23-20 after 10 minutes. Defenses controlled the early going in the second frame, with no points for nearly 3 minutes until Noua’s layup and one. It took 5 minutes for Abalde to drain one from deep for Real’s first field goal of the quarter, making it 28-25. Yabusele’s tip-in and free throws extended the lead before Abalde hit another triple. Lighty and Laprovittola exchanged inside scores. Yabusele gave ASVEL a 37-32 halftime lead.

Yabusele and Laprovittola traded three-pointers early in the third quarter, before Garuba and Jaycee Carroll also struck from deep to send Real ahead, 42-43. Laprovittola and Carroll scored inside to complete a 2-15 run, but Cole rescued ASVEL with a long two. Walter Tavares added a put-back and one, but Cole started to heat up with another inside score, making it 46-50. Lighty’s mid-range strike was bettered by Deck from deep, and Thompkins added a three-point play to give Real a 51-56 edge with 10 minutes remaining. Cole’s triple boosted ASVEL and he then hit from mid-range to tie it up, 58-58. Diot briefly sent the hosts ahead from the foul line, but Deck and Thompkins restored Real’s lead. Abalde banked one in and it was 61-64 with 3 minutes left. Lighty netted a driving layup, but Thompkins responded with free throws and Abalde sank a crucial three in the final minute for a 63-69 lead. Diot gave ASVEL hope from deep. Tavares scored inside, but Yabusele hit another triple to make it 69-71. After Deck split free throws, Cole and Thompkins made theirs. However, Cole and Charles Kahudi missed three-point attempts to force overtime on the final possession.

Real improves on D

After allowing 23 points in the first quarter, Real tightened up its defense the rest of the way. ASVEL only scored 14 points in both the second and third quarters, allowing Real to move ahead despite struggling for offensive fluidity.

Garuba and Fall impress

No players lit up the scoreboard in a defensive struggle, but two centers impressed. Usman Garuba offered a strong all-round contribution for Real with 9 points, 8 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists, while ASVEL’s Moustapha Fall recorded 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

Contrasting early strategies

The teams had contrasting approaches in the early stages: ASVEL scored its first 9 points from beyond the arc on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, while Real’s first 12 points all came from two-point territory 6-of-7 from two-point range.

Next round

Real returns home for a big battle with Anadolu Efes Istanbul next Tuesday, March 30, while ASVEL travels to Khimki Moscow Region on Wednesday.

Trey Thompkins - Real Madrid - EB20
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Euroleague.net
Referees: PUKL,SASA; PEERANDI, RAIN; CLIVAZ, SEBASTIEN
Attendance: 0
By Quarter1234
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne23141420
Real Madrid20122418
End of Quarter1234
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne23375171
Real Madrid20325674
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
5 KAHUDI, CHARLES 22:33 2 1/1 0/1     2 2 1   2     1 1 2
6 LACOMBE, PAUL 10:37 4 2/2           1 1 1     4   1
8 DIOT, ANTOINE 30:11 12 0/1 3/6 3/3   3 3 5 1 1     2 5 19
10 FALL, MOUSTAPHA 27:52 4 2/3     5 6 11   1 3 5   2 4 19
12 NOUA, AMINE 21:58 5 2/4 0/2 1/1 1 4 5 1 1       3 1 6
13 HAYES, KEVARRIUS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 WALTON JR, DERRICK DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
16 HOUINSOU, KYMANY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 BAKO, ISMAEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
23 LIGHTY, DAVID 29:38 13 4/5 1/4 2/2 1 2 3 2   3     5 4 10
28 YABUSELE, GUERSCHON 26:09 13 2/7 3/7   2 2 4     4     1 2 5
30 COLE, NORRIS 31:02 18 4/11 2/5 4/6   1 1 2   2   1 3 4 7
Team           2 1 3     1         2
Totals 200:00 71 17/34 9/25 10/12 11 21 32 12 4 17 5 1 21 21 71
        50% 36% 83.3%
Head coach: PARKER, TJ
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Real Madrid
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 CAUSEUR, FABIEN 12:29   0/2 0/2   1 2 3 2 1 1   2   3 2
6 ABALDE, ALBERTO 15:28 11 1/2 3/3   1 4 5     1     1 1 14
7 TYUS, ALEX 6:18 2 0/1   2/2         2       2 1 2
8 LAPROVITTOLA, NICOLAS 27:48 12 3/5 2/7     2 2 2 2 6   1 4 2 2
9 REYES, FELIPE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 ALOCEN, CARLOS 3:22   0/1 0/1     1 1     1   1 2   -5
14 DECK, GABRIEL 34:12 8 2/3 1/3 1/3   2 2 2 1       2 4 10
16 GARUBA, USMAN 33:15 9 2/3 1/5 2/2 4 4 8 3   1     3 2 13
20 CARROLL, JAYCEE 13:58 7 2/4 1/2         1   1     1 1 4
22 TAVARES, WALTER 21:46 8 3/5   2/3 3 4 7   2 1 1 1 4 3 12
33 THOMPKINS, TREY 22:59 13 4/5 0/3 5/5 1 2 3 1 1 4     1 4 13
44 TAYLOR, JEFFERY 8:25 4 2/2                     1   3
Team           3 1 4               4
Totals 200:00 74 19/33 8/26 12/15 13 22 35 11 9 16 1 5 21 21 74
        57.6% 30.8% 80%
Head coach: LASO, PABLO

Head Coaches

PARKER, TJ
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
"I’m really proud of my guys. They put up a hell of a fight tonight. It’s never easy to play against Real Madrid, but it was a couple-of-possessions game. It went their way, but we showed a good face and played really good defense throughout the whole game."
LASO, PABLO
Real Madrid

"In the first half details were hurting us, but in the second half we were much better. We controlled the game, we had good situations, we had at times a 4 or 5-point advantage after losing by 5. That means we came back. We looked for different options. Jaycee came off the bench and gave us a push. So happy for the victory, knowing we had more or less control of the game... Three finals to go for sure. Right now we’re only thinking about the next one. Still a lot of teams involved, but we’ve got to try to look for our spot."

“It is a very equal competition and we will probably have to keep fighting until the final day.”

Players

ABALDE, ALBERTO
Real Madrid
"Very tough game. We knew that because ASVEL is a very physical team and we played with a lot of pressure because we needed this win. We worked a lot and we are happy with the win. We have three more really important games to go. We are happy with the work of today, but now we have to concentrate on the next one."
GARUBA, USMAN
Real Madrid
"It’s always tough playing away in EuroLeague, so we are very happy for this win and looking forward to the next game. ASVEL is a difficult team, a physical team, and we are happy with the win. We’ve got three finals now, we don’t care which team is in front of us. We want to win, and win the EuroLeague. That’s our job."