Campazzo is not enough to lift Real Madrid in Monaco

Real Madrid basketball team lost 100-95 this Friday in its visit to AS Monaco, despite the outstanding performance of Argentine point guard Facundo Campazzo, in a match corresponding to matchday 18 of the regular phase of the Euroleague and resolved by the emergence of Nikola Mirotic from the perimeter at the beginning of the fourth period.

At La Salle Gaston Médecin, and with the driver Charles Leclerc in the stands, the locals started quickly in attack with Alpha Diallo and Elie Okobo, while on the Madrid side the main weapon was the low post thanks to Walter Tavares who was soon loaded with fouls.

Not in vain, the white team turned around (13-16) its gray start and Mike James and Matthew Strazel responded in front until closing the first period at 21-20. Théo Maledon was suffering from stomach problems and Mario Hezonja did not have much playing time, adding this to the discarded Izan Almansa, Sergio Llull and Andrés Feliz, and the loss of Trey Lyles at the last minute.

Thus, Sergio Scariolo narrowed his rotation and gave Usman Garuba prominence for the inside game, compared to the apathy of Alex Len. Only Facu Campazzo maintained a high level, Monaco scored less than it might seem (34-27, 43-36) and then ‘Edy’ Tavares made his third foul, with a technical for protesting, 2:14 before the break.

Upon returning from that intermission (47-43), the Monegasques signed a partial 8-0 in a matter of two minutes and Scariolo called a timeout to stop the losing streak. After the restart, Élie Okobo sprained his right ankle after landing poorly after a jump and suddenly the tables turned. Campazzo completed a 3+1 and then Alberto Abalde stole a vital ball.

The man from Ferrol had loaded up his defense and infected his teammates, in addition to scoring a triple that made it 65-62 with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Although Mike James held the local lead due to details, that disappeared when first Gaby Deck scored a corner triple and then Chuma Okeke hit another triple from the opposite corner (70-68).

Scariolo’s men pushed back and two free throws from Okeke equalized the score, a scenario that Vassilis Spanoulis’s pupils had helped with mismatches at specific moments. A reference man like Niko Mirotic spent a lot of time on the bench and with 70-70 the fourth period began, where the Montenegrin player finally shined.

When it was looking bad for his team, Mirotic made two triples, with both assists from Strazel and which made it 81-75. To make matters worse for the meringues, Campazzo committed a personal foul and almost immediately made another unsportsmanlike act for being the last defender in a struggle with Mirotic. And at that juncture, a basket from Okobo increased the local income (87-75).

Diallo contributed by winning a couple of duels against the limping Maledon in fights for the rebound and, with this, Monaco maintained certain distances (95-81). Even so, Campazzo scored two triples in a row with 1:17 left and Okeke put a block on Strazel, which led to a ‘coast to coast’ by the Argentine point guard and which culminated in a basket to tighten everything even more.

There was an immediate response from Okobo, but later Campazzo scored two more virtuoso triples. However, the point guard from Córdoba was rowing to die on the shore because both Jaron Blossomgame near the rim and Mike James with free throws sealed the local victory. This left Monaco with a balance of 11-7 and Real Madrid with one of 10-8.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: AS MONACO, 100 – REAL MADRID, 95 (47-43, at half-time).

–TEAMS.

AS MONACO: James (15), Okobo (22), Diallo (11), Blossomgame (6) and Theis (8) –starting quintet–; Nedovic (12), Mirotic (10), Strazel (12), Tarpey (-) and Hayes (4).

REAL MADRID: Campazzo (28), Procida (3), Abalde (7), Hezonja (6) and Tavares (21) –starting quintet–; Maledon (5), Okeke (12), Len (-), Deck (9), Krämer (2) and Garuba (2).

–PARTIALS: 21-20, 26-23, 23-27 and 30-25.

–REFEREES: Nedovic, Koljensic and Udyanskyy. Hayes was eliminated for personal fouls at AS Monaco.

–PABELLÓN: Gaston Doctor Room.