Tight end of the match that smiled at the meringues (73-71)
Real Madrid beat FC Barcelona 73-71 this Sunday on matchday 13 of the Endesa League, with a prominent role for the Argentine point guard Facundo Campazzo in the Madrid team, which thanks to this victory has finished the year behind the co-leaders Valencia Basket and Unicaja de Málaga.
After the morning match of Movistar Estudiantes against Flexicar Fuenlabrada in the First FEB, the doors of the WiZink Center reopened in the afternoon session for the last Clásico of 2024. With more urgency than expected for merengues and for culés, the duel began with a triple from Facu Campazzo answered by another from Álex Abrines.
The locals maintained their plan of shooting from distance, except for a couple of penetrations into the basket by Dzanan Musa, while Barça entrusted their inside game with the mission of doing damage. Jabari Parker stood out more than Jan Vesely there, but Real Madrid’s strategy worked better until they found themselves up 18-12 after a lateral triple that Andrés Feliz scored.
Of course, everything was in favor of the whites as a result of the work of Walter Tavares pivoting. He dominated in the ‘paint’ and opened holes in the visiting defense, which his teammates took advantage of to test from the perimeter. Seeing the problem, Joan Peñarroya’s pupils breathed in every breath of the Cape Verdean center on his bench.
During the second quarter, which started with 21-15 on the scoreboard, Darío Brizuela and Joel Parra joined the culés rotations and helped Tomas Satoransky. In fact, a cornered triple from the Czech point guard sealed a 3-13 run to make it 27-28 at 4:15 before halftime, just when doctors were treating Brizuela due to a blow to his lower back.
His annoyance had occurred as a result of a block by ‘Edy’ Tavares, without sanction but without complaints from the Blaugrana team, which was focused on the comeback. Parker then hit another triple, making it 29-31 with 2:56 left before everyone went to the locker room. However, the contribution of Gaby Deck and Mario Hezonja showed the Madridistas’ repertoire.
Both joined Real Madrid’s predilection in medium and long distance shots, going into the break with a favorable 36-31. At the restart, the dynamic hardly changed and the locals gradually increased their lead thanks to their choral cast, including free throws from Xavi Rathan-Mayes, a dunk from Tavares and even a triple from Campazzo.
With 6:26 left in the third quarter, Deck injured the hamstring in his left leg after a dunk, having completed a beautiful assist from Campazzo back and between his own legs. The ‘Turtle’ had to retire due to pain, giving greater prominence to Sergio Llull who at his age is already going from record to record in each match.
Thus, the point guard from Mahón became the player with the most games played for Real Madrid in the ACB League, setting the new record at 620. That spirit infected Musa, who had been subdued since his dazzling start, and Real Madrid he was 10 points away (55-45). From that moment on, Kevin Punter and Juan Núñez entered the scene at Barça.
The young ex-Madridista point guard completed a third period of culé survival (57-51) and gave way to a fourth act of alternations, thanks to a new reaction from Barça. With 4:29 left on the game clock, a ‘catch and shoot’ triple from Parker tied the score (63-36) and then another from Punter, in the face of Alberto Abalde, added spice to everything.
At 65-66, the referees called a technical foul on Chus Mateo, Real Madrid coach, and Punter himself converted the additional free throw. When the battle was most intense, the Barça team was stunned by two attacks and a lateral triple by Campazzo, after Satoransky ate a block by Tavares, made it 69-67 with 1:59 remaining.
From the personal line, the successes of Campazzo himself and Musa stretched the white lead 73-68, which prolonged their agony with a triple from ‘Sato’, as Parker missed another in the final moments and that would have forced extra time. The final 73-71 put Real Madrid third in the League, with a balance of 9-4; On the other hand, the culés are eighth (7-6).
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–RESULT: REAL MADRID, 73 – BARÇA, 71 (36-31, at half-time).
–TEAMS:
REAL MADRID: Campazzo (17), Rathan-Mayes (4), Deck (7), Musa (10) and Tavares (11) –starting quintet–; Hezonja (15), Ibaka (-), Llull (3), Abalde (3), Feliz (3) and Garuba (-).
BARÇA: Satoransky (13), Punter (12), Abrines (5), Parker (18) and Vesely (4) –starting quintet–; Metu (10), Hernangómez (4), Anderson (-), Brizuela (2), Núñez (3) and Parra (-).
–PARTIALS: 21-15, 15-16, 21-20 and 16-20.
–REFEREES: Conde, Calatrava and Lucas Martínez. Vesely was eliminated at Barça due to personal fouls.
–PAVILLION: WiZink Center.