Real Madrid bulldozed host EWE Baskets 61-104

Real Madrid improved to 3-1 and became provisional leaders of Group D after demolishing EWE Baskets Oldenburg 61-104. The lead got up to 50 points by the fourth quarter in a game that Madrid decided already in the first half. The visitors put on a true exhibition of great team offense. All 11 players in uniform contributed and six scored in double digits. Darjus Lavrinovic led the way with 18 points. Sergio Llull added 14, Rimantas Kaukenas and Novica Velickovic tallied 13 apiece and Pablo Prigioni and Louis Bullock chipped in 10 each for the winners, who host Armani Jeans Milano in Week 5. Rickey Paulding scored 14 – 12 in the first half – and Jekel Foster added 12 points for the German champs, who next travel to defending champion Panathinaikos. The domination was complete on both ends of the court with Madrid dishing out 26 assists and forcing Oldenburg into 25 turnovers.

Lavrinovic sparked a strong Madrid start by scoring inside with a half-hook. Foster answered with a three pointer for Oldenburg, but Madrid then took off. Bullock scored 5 quick points, and the visitors went up 6-17 on back-to-back dunks by Lavrinovic. Paulding got a layup to fall for the home side, but Kaukenas drove in for a clean layup. Paulding, knowing his team was in need of a leader, drained a three-pointer to get the deficit to single digits, but Prigioni and Velickovic then hit back-to-back three-pointers. Paulding got the crowd back into the game by drilling another long-range bomb, but some good ball movement left Kaukenas wide open for a baseline jumper. Jorge Garbajosa made one from the line, but Paulding, completely on fire, dropped another three to keep the hosts within 16-28 after 10 minutes.

Milan Majstorovic made a pair of foul shots to pull Oldenburg within 10 at the beginning of the second quarter, but Madrid took off once again. Kaukenas made a layup, and Llull converted a steal into 2 more points. Kaukenas then made a great spin move to get to the basket for a layup plus foul and finished the three-point play from the line. Marko Scekic scored inside for the hosts, but Lavrinovic fed a cutting Velickovic for a two-handed slam. Oldenburg’s Joshua Carter drained a three-pointer from the corner only to see Velickovic find a streaking Llull to put Madrid up 25-43. After Paulding made 2 foul shots, Bullock assisted an open Sergi Vidal for a three from the wing. Velickovic bracketed a three-pointer by Foster with two moves in the post for 4 points. Madrid continued to roll as Garbajosa made a baby hook in the blocks for a 20-point lead. Daniel Hain tried to stop the bleeding with a layup, but Bullock sent Madrid into the halftime break up 37-58 with a three-pointer.

Prigioni went 1 for 2 from the line and then threaded a pass to Lavrinovic on a pick-and-roll for an easy 2 points to grow the lead to 37-61. Foster used a nice head fake to get free for a three-pointer, but Lavrinovic used the same trick to fake his defender out and then cruise in for an uncontested slam. Travis Hansen then scored his first points for Madrid and Lavrinovic pushed the advantage to 25 on a pair of foul shots. Oldenburg got a triple from Jasmin Perkovic, but Lavrinovic would not be stopped and scored back-to-back baskets on the inside. Lull added 2 foul shots as the lead reached 45-72. Foster hit a three-pointer from the elbow, but Lavrinovic scored 2 foul shots to bring his personal tally for the quarter to 12. Madrid had no mercy and broke the 30-point barrier on a layup by Lull. Velickovic scored 2 from the line and then fed Vladimir Dasic for a layup. Scekic worked in the post for a score, but Madrid entered the fourth up 50-85.

Scekic scored a layup to open the final period. Kaukenas answered with a jumper, and Majstorovic hit a pair of free throws. Garbajosa made an excellent pass on the break to Llull for a layup. The end of Madrid’s bench took over where the starters and principal substitutes left off as Dasic drained a three-pointer and Ignacio de Miguel notched a pair of free throws to put his team up by 40 points. Kaukenas sliced in and hit off the glass, and Velickovic, Dasic and Lull threw down consecutive slams off the fastbreak to put Madrid up 54-104. Njel Acha hit a three for Oldenburg, Paulding scored in the lane, and Acha added a layup as the Oldenburg crowd cheered their team on to the very last second.