2020-21Regular SeasonRound 11
CSKA Moscow 74
Real Madrid 73
November 26, 2020 CET: 18:00
Local time: 20:00 MEGASPORT ARENA

CSKA's James pulls out thriller vs. Madrid

With two five-game winning streaks on the line, CSKA Moscow kept its own going strong with a thrilling 74-73 victory over visiting Real Madrid in the Russian capital on Thursday. CSKA raised its record to 8-3 to at least retain its share of second place while Real dropped to 6-5. Mike James fired in 28 points, including a spectacular game-stealing four-point play with 2.5 seconds left, to lead all scorers. Toko Shengelia added 15 points and Will Clyburn points for CSKA. Trey Thompkins led Real with 15 points while Gabriel Deck added 14, Anthony Randolph and Sergio Llull 13 each. Real led by 25-36 in the second quarter before a 10-0 run got CSKA close enough to eventually go ahead 58-55 after three. Real soon re-took the lead but back-to-back threes by James put the hosts up 68-64 with under 5 minutes left. Trey Thompkins drilled a triple with 24 seconds left for Real to seize a 70-71 advantage, but that merely set the stage for the game-winning heroics by James.


CSKA scored the first 6 points of the night with Nikola Milutinov and Shengelia working inside. Thompkins got the visitors going with a triple and a tip-in, before Alberto Abalde's floater during a 0-6 Real run helped make it 8-11. Shengelia answered hitting from long and close range, but Deck scored a pair of layups and a second triple by Thompkins made it 17-20 after 10 minutes. Sergio Llull and Anthony Randolph hit a three apiece to start the second quarter by opening up a 17-26 lead. Will Clyburn answered with a three of his own, before Randolph and Mike James traded triples. James and Llull exchanged floaters before the latter's second triple opened the first double-digit margin, 25-36. CSKA got the needed reply with a three from Clyburn and a reverse layup from James. Johannes Voigtmann had a put-back and a triple to cap a 10-0 run to cut the gap to a single point before a one-handed jam by Tavares made it 35-38 at halftime. Baskets by Milutinov and Shengelia let CSKA surge ahead 41-40 after halftime, but Randolph soon knocked down a triple put Real back in front 43-45. After a couple more lead changes, CSKA stepped up defensively before Clyburn and Milutinov made it 51-47. Abalde knocked down a second-chance triple, but James hit a jumper and a three-pointer, helping CSKA to a 58-55 lead going into the fourth quarter. Tavares scored twice inside early in the fourth, restoring a Real advantage at 60-61. James hit a triple, and after Llull answered in kind, another triple before downing a runner high off the glass to make it 68-64. A circus shot by James made it 70-66 with 3:30 to go, but a pair of free throws by Deck were the only points in the next 3 minutes, before Thompkins hit his three-pointer with 24 seconds to go, giving Real 70-71 lead. James missed his first try at the win, but Daniel Hackett's offense rebound gave him a second chance. Surrounded in the corner, he lifted up and swished the shot, getting fouled in the act for a four-point play with 2.5 seconds to go, giving CSKA a thrilling victory.

Heroic James

The only CSKA player who scored in the final 6 minutes and 15 seconds of the game was Mike James. He scored half of his game-high 28 points in that final stretch, with his four-point play with 2.5 seconds left proving just enough to avoid overtime.

Stats story

Real had 18 assists compared to CSKA's 4, committed just 6 turnovers to 10 by CSKA, and registered 6 blocks to CSKA's 1. But the hosts outrebounded Real 44-34 with Nikola Milutinov and Will Clyburn pulling 9 each.

No dishes

CSKA won despite dishing just 4 assists, tying a club-low in the EuroLeague this century which CSKA previously had in February 2002 against Skipper Bologna. Interestingly, last season in Moscow against Real, CSKA only had 6 assists, but also won that game.

Stars off the bench

Walter Tavares, who was the only Real player who started in each of the first 10 games this season, did not enter the game until the start of the second quarter and finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds. Mike James and Will Clyburn, in their usual role coming off the bench in the first quarter, gave CSKA a 44-26 advantage in reserve scoring.

Next up

Next week in Round 12 both teams will be at home. CSKA will welcome Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday, while Real will host LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Friday.

Mike James - CSKA Moscow - EB20
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Euroleague.net
Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI; PETEK, SASO; VILIUS, GYTIS
Attendance: 3103
By Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow17182316
Real Madrid20181718
End of Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow17355874
Real Madrid20385573
CSKA Moscow
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 BOLOMBOY, JOEL 10:23   0/1     1 1 2             1 2
4 KHOMENKO, ALEXANDER DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 JAMES, MIKE 28:11 28 6/9 5/10 1/1 1 1 2 1   2     1 4 24
6 HILLIARD, DARRUN 19:46 5 1/5   3/3   1 1 1   1   1 1 1 1
7 UKHOV, IVAN 8:41   0/1 0/1   1 1 2         1 2   -3
10 HACKETT, DANIEL 23:02 2 1/2 0/2   1 1 2     2     4 3 -2
11 ANTONOV, SEMEN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
17 VOIGTMANN, JOHANNES 13:52 5 1/1 1/2   2 2 4     3         5
21 CLYBURN, WILL 31:00 11 1/6 2/6 3/4 1 8 9 2     1 1   3 15
23 SHENGELIA, TORNIKE 27:31 15 5/8 1/5 2/2 1 6 7         1 2 3 15
33 MILUTINOV, NIKOLA 24:02 8 4/6     4 5 9         2 1 1 13
41 KURBANOV, NIKITA 13:32   0/1       1 1           4 2 -2
Team           3 2 5     2         3
Totals 200:00 74 19/40 9/26 9/10 15 29 44 4 0 10 1 6 15 18 71
        47.5% 34.6% 90%
Head coach: ITOUDIS, DIMITRIS
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 DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 RANDOLPH, ANTHONY 22:49 13 1/6 3/7 2/3 1 2 3   1 1 1   1 1 7
6 ABALDE, ALBERTO 22:49 5 1/1 1/3     1 1 1 1       4 1 3
8 LAPROVITTOLA, NICOLAS 17:42   0/2 0/3     2 2 3         1   -1
12 ALOCEN, CARLOS 7:15 2 1/2 0/2     1 1 2             2
14 DECK, GABRIEL 29:33 14 5/7   4/4 1 2 3 1   3     2 2 13
16 GARUBA, USMAN 4:15     0/1                   1   -2
20 CARROLL, JAYCEE 6:49 3 1/2 0/1 1/1           1       2 2
22 TAVARES, WALTER 23:47 8 4/5     4 6 10 2 1 1 4   2 4 25
23 LLULL, SERGIO 21:49 13 1/7 3/6 2/4 1 3 4 6 1     1 3 3 12
33 THOMPKINS, TREY 24:03 15 3/4 3/6   2 4 6 2     1   3 2 19
44 TAYLOR, JEFFERY 19:09   0/1 0/1     2 2 1         1    
Team           2   2               2
Totals 200:00 73 17/37 10/30 9/12 11 23 34 18 4 6 6 1 18 15 82
        45.9% 33.3% 75%
Head coach: LASO, PABLO

Head Coaches

ITOUDIS, DIMITRIS
CSKA Moscow
"Congratulations to my team. We managed to come out in the second half and hustle more. We outrebounded them, as you can see. We were not very productive in assists, but you know it takes two for assists, the guy who makes the play and the guy who scores. But we found a way. Mike had a very good game and made amazing shots, but all the others supported them amazingly. So, I would say that the way we fought on the boards, the way we grabbed second chances – like Toko [Shengelia] was there, Niko [Milutinov] was there, Johannes Voigtmann] was there, Will [Clyburn] was there to support everything – so this is the way. We found this way tonight because we were very poor in assists, but as I said it takes two. The way we defended was much better. Definitely, the fact that we had 10 turnovers and zero steals has to concern us. We're taking the win. Congratulations to my players. They found a way. To be continued."
LASO, PABLO
Real Madrid
"First, congratulations to CSKA for the victory. I think it was a very tight game. Both teams had similar differences; I think they outrebounded us, but we were able to move the ball better. In the end, that last rebound probably gave them the game and it went down to little details in which CSKA won it, going down to that last play. I cannot be happy with the result but I only have good for my team. I think they played hard, stayed in the game in bad moments and were able to read good defenses, read good offenses and move the ball well. But CSKA has a lot of threats and in the last moment, that offensive rebound and the last shot by James were decisive. Congratulations to CSKA for the victory. In the end, as a coach, you have the feeling that the team must do a certain work to win the game, and the team did it. In that sense, I can be happy with the team's work. Obviously, I am not happy with the final score and there were details in the game that punished us. If you take the game to the final play, that last rebound was decisive. I cannot say much more. We have to keep working - this is a very demanding competition with great players, like CSKA has. You have to play at a high level if you want to win."

Players

JAMES, MIKE
CSKA Moscow
"I was just trying to be aggressive, like normal. You know, play my game, and I think I got some stuff to fall for me. I think they were trying to play the pick-and-roll basically with no help, just playing with two men, so when they do that, I have to be aggressive. I have to take some shots and maybe tough shots, but today I got in a rhythm and it worked out. It is the regular season, we are trying to keep pushing through and I think we are gaining momentum right now. It is good; we want to protect our home court. We lost one at home already, so we definitely don't want to do that again. And obviously, Real is a good team so it is a good win for us."
SHENGELIA, TORNIKE
CSKA Moscow
"Regardless of our turnovers and that we gave up many offensive rebounds for them in the last couple of minutes, regardless of this, we kept fighting and kept believing. In the end, they were up by one, Mike [James] made an amazing shot and we got the win. Everybody knows they are one of the toughest teams, especially defensively. This is not a surprise and it is not the first time we play against them, so we had our tactics as well. Most of the time, it worked. That is pretty much why we won this game, too."
DECK, GABRIEL
Real Madrid
"Well, I think we did a great job in general. The team did very well in many aspects. We had some shots down the end that could have gone in and the story would have been different, but we have to keep the good things we did. I believe we were comfortable on offense, looking for the best options at all times, trying to attack their defenders the right way. In general, we played a great game. We know that when we come here, it is hard to play, against a very demanding team, but you have to keep the positive things of this game. We have been working hard, week by week. The team has been setting goals each week and doing the best we can, and we hope to carry on that way. We have to work, do things right and fight for every game, giving maximum intensity."