2019-20Regular SeasonRound 8
Real Madrid 86
FC Barcelona 76
November 14, 2019 CET: 21:00
Local time: 21:00 WIZINK CENTER

Real prevails in El Clasico

In an outstanding back-and-forth battle, Real Madrid took the first El Clasico of this Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season by downing archrival FC Barcelona 86-76 in the Spanish capital on Thursday. Real improved to 5-3 in the standings while Barcelona dropped to 6-2. Anthony Randolph led the winners with 16 points, Facu Campazzo and Gabriel Deck each added 13 and Jordan Mickey scored 12 for Real. Nikola Mirotic paced Barcelona with 19 points, Ante Tomic had 13 and Kyle Kuric 12 for the visitors. Campazzo and Randolph fueled a 15-0 lead that put Real ahead for good and then Mickey and Usman Garuba boosted the hosts to a 32-14 margin after 10 minutes. Tomic, Kuric and Malcolm Delaney led a 0-18 run that brought Barcelona within 37-35. An unstoppable Mirotic helped Barcelona reach halftime ahead 48-50. Real made the difference after the break by building a 61-50 cushion. Barcelona managed to get within 71-64 after 30 minutes, but Real managed to keep a safe margin throughout the fourth quarter and until the final buzzer.

Randolph got Real going with a jumper that Mirotic bettered with a triple. Campazzo followed a floater with a three-pointer and Randolph had 5 points in a 15-0 run highlighted by Deck's layup-plus-foul. Rolands Smits stepped up with a put-back layup, but Randolph and Campazzo boosted their team's margin to 24-6. Delaney downed a three-pointer only to see Mickey take over with a put-back layup and a dunk and Garuba score down low to make it 30-9. Tomic and Pierre Oriola brought Barcelona a bit closer, 32-14, after 10 minutes. Kuric and Rudy Fernandez traded triples early in the second quarter, but Tomic scored twice in the paint and Delaney struck from beyond the arc, which caused Real to call timeout at 37-25. Kuric dunked off a steal, Tomic added a jump hook and a three-pointer by Delaney brought Barcelona back in the game, 37-32. A red-hot Kuric capped a 0-18 run with a bomb from downtown. Fernandez answered from beyond the arc for a 40-35 score. Tomic scored again, but Mickey and Nico Laprovittola gave the hosts fresh air at 44-37. Mirotic rescued Barcelona, then Hanga followed a triple with a reverse layup that tied it at 46-46. Mirotic completed the visitors' comeback with a put-back layup and added a jumper for a 46-50 Barcelona lead. A jumper by Sergio Llull fixed the halftime score at 48-50.

Jeffery Taylor hit a corner triple right after the break and Deck added a backdoor layup for a 53-50 Real lead. Campazzo took over with a three-point play and then Taylor followed a three-pointer with an off-balance basket for a double-digit Real lead, 61-50, after a 15-0 run. Mirotic struck from downtown and added a layup, but Deck kept the hosts on control, 69-57. Kuric buried one from beyond the arc and got help from Tomic and Pau Ribas to give Barcelona hope at 71-64 after 30 minutes. Llull hit a double-pump jumper early in the fourth quarter and Garuba added a layup for a 75-64 Real lead. Cory Higgins scored his first 4 points, but Randolph downed one from downtown for a 78-68 advantage with over 4 minutes left. Higgins kept pacing Barcelona, but didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, a layup by Llull sealed the outcome, 82-71, with 2 minutes remaining.

Pivotal performer

Anthony Randolph had a strong all-around game for Real, taking off early and finishing strong. He had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 fouls drawn for a game-high PIR of 20.

Game-changing moment

Real trailed 46-50 late in the first half when it found an X-factor in Jeffery Taylor, who hit a three-pointer from each corner and added a big basket in a 15-0 run that saw Real take the lead for good, 61-50. The hosts never looked back after that.

Stellar stat

Real outrebounded Barcelona 41-32, including 11 offensive rebounds. Real limited Barcelona to just 11 assists and dished 17. At the same time, Barcelona took more two-point shots (37, Real 35) but Real Madrid scored more shots inside the arc (20, Barcelona 16). Those two-point shooting percentages (Real 57.1%, Barcelona 43.2%) ultimately made the difference.

Did you notice?

Brandon Davies was held scoreless for just the second time in his 78-game EuroLeague career. He had a PIR of -12, the lowest by any Barcelona player in EuroLeague history. Luka Zoric of Fenerbahce has the all-time PIR negative record, -14, against Barcelona on November 29, 2013.

Next game

Both teams return to EuroLeague action early next week. Real welcomes Khimki Moscow Region on Tuesday, November 19. A day later, Barcelona hosts Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Facundo Campazzo - Real Madrid - EB19
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Euroleague.net
Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI; JAVOR, DAMIR; TRAWICKI, TOMASZ
Attendance: 12729
By Quarter1234
Real Madrid32162315
FC Barcelona14361412
End of Quarter1234
Real Madrid32487186
FC Barcelona14506476
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 4:07   0/1                         -1
3 RANDOLPH, ANTHONY 29:09 16 2/5 2/4 6/6 2 5 7   1 1 1   2 3 20
5 FERNANDEZ, RUDY 21:07 6   2/5   1 2 3 2 2         2 12
7 CAMPAZZO, FACUNDO 21:46 13 3/5 1/6 4/5   3 3 6 2 1     4 4 15
8 LAPROVITTOLA, NICOLAS 6:31 4 1/2   2/2 1 1 2   1 1     2 2 5
14 DECK, GABRIEL 24:56 13 3/5 1/3 4/7 1 5 6 3           4 19
16 GARUBA, USMAN 12:49 6 2/2   2/2 1 1 2   1       2 1 8
20 CARROLL, JAYCEE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
22 TAVARES, WALTER 17:19 2 1/1       5 5     1 3   5 3 7
23 LLULL, SERGIO 22:54 6 3/9 0/4         2 1 5   1 1 2 -6
25 MICKEY, JORDAN 13:42 12 4/4 0/1 4/4 1 2 3 1 1 2     5 2 11
44 TAYLOR, JEFFERY 25:40 8 1/1 2/4   1 2 3 3 1 1     3   9
Team           3 4 7     1         6
Totals 200:00 86 20/35 8/27 22/26 11 30 41 17 10 13 4 1 24 23 105
        57.1% 29.6% 84.6%
Head coach: LASO, PABLO
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
FC Barcelona
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
0 DAVIES, BRANDON 14:59   0/6               3   1 2   -12
5 RIBAS, PAU 15:45 4 2/2 0/2 0/1   2 2 1             4
8 HANGA, ADAM 14:36 5 1/1 1/2 0/1   1 1 1   2     2 1 2
10 SMITS, ROLANDS 5:46 2 1/1     1   1           3    
14 PUSTOVYI, ARTEM DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18 ORIOLA, PIERRE 15:52 5 1/1 1/1 0/2 1 3 4 1   2     2 1 5
22 HIGGINS, CORY 25:31 7 1/8 1/4 2/3 1 5 6 1       1 4 5 3
23 DELANEY, MALCOLM 27:12 9 0/1 3/7   1 2 3 4   3     3 4 9
24 KURIC, KYLE 31:10 12 1/3 3/5 1/1   4 4 3 4 2     3 2 16
31 BOLMARO, LEANDRO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
33 MIROTIC, NIKOLA 29:43 19 5/7 2/5 3/4 3 2 5   1 2   2 4 3 14
44 TOMIC, ANTE 19:26 13 4/7   5/5 1   1       1   1 5 16
Team           1 4 5               5
Totals 200:00 76 16/37 11/26 11/17 9 23 32 11 5 14 1 4 24 21 62
        43.2% 42.3% 64.7%
Head coach: PESIC, SVETISLAV

Head Coaches

LASO, PABLO
Real Madrid

"First of all, congratulations to the team for the victory. It was a strange first half to a certain extent. We played a very good first quarter, which allows us to get a big lead, but we played a very bad second quarter and they improved, so the game was balanced. The second half was close to what is a regular game, without big differences in the scoreboard and in the end, we got a good lead and a victory that we knew was a very tough, very difficult one. All Clasicos have a rivalry and give the game a little push. I am very happy with the atmosphere we had at home and the way our fans supported us in good and bad moments. They give us a plus and we have to give that back to them. Both teams played with a lot of intensity, which says a lot of good things about Madrid and Barcelona. In the EuroLeague, if you don't give 100%, it is very difficult to win. Barcelona is a great rival and I am very happy with the answer my team gave."

"I am very happy, of course. We know how difficult it is to beat any team in the EuroLeague, but we were playing at home and I think that our fans gave us a lot of energy. I think we played a very good game for three quarters - our second quarter was not good, but we were able to stay concentrated and turn around the mistakes that we made. We almost made no mistakes in the second half. We didn't play great, but were able to be consistent and got a good victory. It is a very long season and we know how difficult it is to play against every team. Right now, we are focused on going one by one. We have a double-header next week, Khimki and CSKA at home, probably very difficult games against two tough teams. So we know this one is finished; we have to enjoy it and start thinking about the next one."

PESIC, SVETISLAV
FC Barcelona
"We didn't start very well because Real played perfect. In the second quarter, we had no other chance but start to play the way we can play, and we won the first 20 minutes. But as always in basketball, the third quarter is always a new game and once again, Real was excellent, with energy. We reacted again, but couldn't find our rhythm like in the first 20 minutes. We didn't have patience; if you are down by 6-8-10 points, you first need to improve on defense, control the defensive rebounds and on offense, play with patience. We didn't do that and this is the reason why we didn't find our rhythm until the end of the game. Congratulations to Real, they played better and deserved this victory."

Players

DECK, GABRIEL
Real Madrid
"Seeing our home court the way it was today was really nice, they gave us great support and the whole team wanted the win because of everything that involves a Clasico. We are very happy about this win. We had a great start, with great intensity and after that, we lowered our concentration and they came back. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but in the second half the team did well at both ends and managed to get a big victory. It is an incredible motivation for us to get the support we got from the stands. We are very thankful and this win is also for them. We did a great job in some moments and as I said, we lost our focus at some point, but the most important thing is the win, and we will go over the things we did wrong. We needed to win this tough game. We always try to give our best against each team. We played against Barcelona today, but we take every opponent seriously."
LLULL, SERGIO
Real Madrid
"I believe we started really well and surprised them with our strong start - very focused, playing tough and controlling the rebounds, which we knew was one of the keys to the game. In the end, this is Barcelona, they have great players and returned to the game, but we had the patience and the experience to be ourselves in the second half and get a deserved win. It is always a fun-to-watch game, but we really needed this win to climb in the standings. It was a home win and we are happy about it. The team did a great job and we were aware that was very important to win at home against them because there was a two-win gap between the teams."
RANDOLPH, ANTHONY
Real Madrid
"It was a great game. Like I said at halftime, we know we had to play for a full 40 minutes against this team. They built a great team and everybody knows. We have to learn from our mistakes and keep playing hard and I think we did that. We executed what Coach wanted us to do, what we worked on all week. It was a great win. I feel like we have to do a better job on the road. It is something we have to work on, it is a long season and we will correct that, hopefully, by the time we stomp into the playoffs."
ORIOLA, PIERRE
FC Barcelona
"We had a very bad first quarter and at the end of it, we were 18 points down. After that, we bounced back very well in the second quarter due to the players that came off the bench. We took the lead and had positive inertia, but paid a high price for our third quarter, which was the key to the game - the start of the second half and the effort we had to make to rally after a bad first quarter. In the end, it is one more game and we are 6-2 in the EuroLeague standings. Of course, it is not just any other game because every game against Real is special, which we always want to win. It is a long season and we have a lot of games ahead of us."