2014-15Top 16Round 1
January 02, 2015 CET: 19:00
Local time: 19:00 KOMBANK ARENA

Fernandez leads Madrid to big road win

Real Madrid got off to a strong start in Top 16 Group E by downing Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 72-79 in front of 18,920 fans at Kombank Arena in the Serbian capital on Friday. Rudy Fernandez led the winners with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Felipe Reyes added 13 and Sergio Rodriguez scored 12, while Sergio Llull dished 9 assists for Madrid. Luka Mitrovic and Maik Zirbes led Zvezda with 13 points apiece. Nikola Kalinic added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the hosts. Zvezda struggled to score early and a jumper by Fernandez gave the guests a 7-13 margin. Boban Marjanovic and Mitrovic brought the hosts within 12-15 after 10 minutes. A three-pointer by Andres Nocioni caused Zvezda call timeout at 12-20, but Charles Jenkins scored 7 points in a 9-0 run as the hosts took a 21-20 lead. Fernandez and Reyes led Madrid to regain a 31-34 edge at halftime. A fast break dunk by Kalinic put Zvezda back ahead, 40-38, soon after the break. However Llull, Fernandez - twice - and Rodriguez struck from downtown in a 0-14 run that broke the game open and gave Madrid a 45-58 margin after 30 minutes. The guests boosted their margin to 47-65 early in the fourth quarter and managed to keep full control of the game until the final buzzer.

First quarter: Frontcourt puts Madrid ahead

Gustavo Ayon got Madrid going with a fast break slam, which Mitrovic bettered with a three-pointer for a 3-2 Zvezda lead. Ayon swished a five-meter jumper, but Reyes erased Boban Marjanovic's catch-and-shoot basket with a jump hook and soon added a bomb from downtown to boost the guests' lead to 5-9. Marjanovic kept pushing Zvezda with a close basket, but the hosts had started to miss open shots, allowing Madrid to double-team him more effectively in the low post. Jonas Maciulis hit free throws and a jumper by Fernandez boosted the guests' lead to 7-13. Mitrovic scored around the basket and a free throw by Marjanovic kept Zvezda within 10-13. Marjanovic ignited the crowd with a big basket in the low post, which Ioannis Bourousis erased with a backdoor layup to restore a 12-15 Madrid lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Visitors hold on to slim lead

K.C. Rivers scored in penetration early in the quarter and Rodriguez fed Andres Nocioni for a three-pointer in transition, which caused Zvezda to call timeout at 12-20. Charles Jenkins stepped up with a three-pointer and soon added free throws to bring the hosts within 3. Madrid could not find the way to the basket, while a layup by Jenkins and a wild, two-handed slam by Zirbes completed Zvezda's comeback, 21-20, after a 9-0 run. Marcus Slaughter shined with a follow-up layup and back-to-back three-pointers by Rivers and Fernandez gave Madrid fresh air at 21-28. Mitrovic followed a turnaround jumper with a reverse layup, but a one-handed alley-oop slam by Slaughter kept Madrid ahead, 25-30. Marcus Williams hit foul shots and a put-back slam by Kalinic brought Zvezda within 1. Fernandez and Branko Lazic traded free throws and a layup by Reyes fixed the halftime score at 31-34.

Third quarter: A rain of three-pointers!

Reyes hit a close jumper immediately after the break. Maciulis hit a mid-range shot off the dribble, as Zvezda tried to get Marjanovic involved without much success. Lazic stepped up with a catch-and-shoot corner triple and a big basket by Mitrovic made it a 2-point game. Mitrovic kept pushing Zvezda with a layup and he fed Kalinic for a fast break dunk that ignited the crowd, 40-38. Madrid called timeout and Reyes scored in the low post, but Marjanovic answered with a one-handed jumper. Fernandez nailed a step-back shot and Reyes returned the lead to Madrid, 43-44. Llull struck from downtown before Zvezda stopped the game at 43-47. Fernandez joined the three-point shootout and soon swished another one to make it a double-digit difference, 43-53. Rodriguez hit a triple to cap a 0-14 run and Nocioni matched Kalinic's free throws with a buzzer-beating jumper for a 45-58 Madrid lead.

Fourth quarter: Madrid seals win with time to spare

Zirbes hit a jump hook early in the quarter, which Rodriguez erased with an off-balance jumper at the other end. Rodriguez took over with a wild three-pointer and Fernandez sent a behind-the-back assist to Nocioni for a layup that broke the game open, 47-65. Stefan Jovic nailed one from downtown and Kalinic added free throws, but an inspired Rodriguez scored again for a 52-67 Madrid margin. Zirbes dunked and matched Llull's rainbow jumper with a tip-in in traffic, but Bourousis kept Madrid way ahead, 57-71. Zirbes took over with a three-point play, but a one-handed floater by Jaycee Carroll and a layup by Bourousis sealed the outcome, 60-75, with less than four minutes left. By the time Nocioni shined with a one-handed slam, everything was said and done, as Madrid had cruised to a convincing, well-deserved road win.

Friday, January 2, 2015
Euroleague.net

Referees: CHRISTODOULOU, CHRISTOS; GKONTAS, SPIROS; MAESTRE, NICOLA
Attendance: 18733
By Quarter1234
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade12191427
Real Madrid15192421
End of Quarter1234
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade12314572
Real Madrid15345879
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 WILLIAMS, MARCUS 18:43 3 0/3 0/3 3/5 1 2 3 2 1 1     1 4 3
4 REBIC, NIKOLA DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 DANGUBIC, NEMANJA 6:51     0/1   2   2 1   2     2   -2
9 MITROVIC, LUKA 20:27 13 5/9 1/5 0/1   2 2 3   2   1 1 1 6
10 LAZIC, BRANKO 25:07 8 0/3 2/3 2/2 1 2 3   2 1   1 4 3 6
11 BLAZIC, JAKA 19:38 6 0/4 2/3 0/2   2 2   1 1     1 3 3
12 KALINIC, NIKOLA 28:13 10 3/7 0/2 4/4 1 5 6 7   1     3 4 17
13 MARJANOVIC, BOBAN 20:00 9 4/6   1/2 2 5 7     2       2 13
15 TEJIC, MARKO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
22 JENKINS, CHARLES 19:44 7 1/1 1/1 2/2           1     3 2 5
24 JOVIC, STEFAN 21:17 3 0/2 1/2     2 2 9 2 2     3 3 11
33 ZIRBES, MAIK 20:00 13 5/7   3/5 2 4 6 1 2 1       3 20
Team           2 1 3               3
Totals 200:00 72 18/42 7/20 15/23 11 25 36 23 8 14 0 2 18 25 85
        42.9% 35% 65.2%
Head coach: RADONJIC, DEJAN
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
4 RIVERS, KC 9:07 5 1/1 1/2           1       2 2 5
5 FERNANDEZ, RUDY 29:16 15 2/4 3/6 2/2 1 5 6 4 2 1     1 4 24
6 NOCIONI, ANDRES 17:41 9 3/6 1/3   2 3 5           4   5
7 CAMPAZZO, FACUNDO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 MACIULIS, JONAS 16:58 4 1/3 0/2 2/2   1 1   1 1     2 1  
9 REYES, FELIPE 24:25 13 5/9 1/2   1 2 3 1     2   1 4 17
13 RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO 21:57 12 2/6 2/3 2/2   2 2 7   4     2 1 11
14 AYON, GUSTAVO 13:33 4 2/4     1 3 4 1   1     2 1 5
20 CARROLL, JAYCEE 14:40 2 1/1 0/3     2 2 1   1     2   -1
23 LLULL, SERGIO 28:02 5 1/2 1/1   1 3 4 9 2 3     2 3 17
30 BOUROUSIS, IOANNIS 12:35 6 3/3       2 2   2 1     4 1 6
44 SLAUGHTER, MARCUS 11:46 4 2/3       2 2     1     3 1 2
Team           2 2 4               4
Totals 200:00 79 23/42 9/22 6/6 8 27 35 23 8 13 2 0 25 18 95
        54.8% 40.9% 100%
Head coach: LASO, PABLO

Head Coaches

RADONJIC, DEJAN
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
"There was a great atmosphere like was expected. Real has huge ambitions, but we opened the game well. We played good defense against an extremely offensive team. We were in the game for a long time and it seemed it would last until the final minutes. But then Real played several great minutes. We were struggling all the way and that is normal. There was no drama in the final minutes because Real has players that know well how to win games like this."
LASO, PABLO
Real Madrid
"I think that what was very important for us was to keep the intensity and the concentration for 40 minutes, which is difficult in this building, because there is a lot of pressure. We were very focused all game long and got better in the second half at rebounding and controlling the tempo. We were able to hit key shots on the fast break, open up the lead and finally get an important victory in the Top 16."

Players

MITROVIC, LUKA
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade
"We tried to do what we agreed to do in the locker room before the game and it worked for two quarters. But Real is too experienced a team. They were waiting for our moments of weakness and it came in the third quarter. They easily made a big margin and kept it to the end."
FERNANDEZ, RUDY
Real Madrid
"I think that our mentality and being aggressive on defense was the key. It is difficult to play hard in this arena, but we played smart basketball and that allowed us to get the victory tonight. "
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