League leaders secure 11th straight win

Real Madrid continued their unbeaten run in the league. The Whites overcame Baskonia at the Movistar Arena to record their 11th win on the bounce in the competition. The first three quarters were evenly matched, but the leaders were more clinical in the last ten minutes to claim victory in a game that saw Deck return from an injury sustained at the end of the year. Hezonja (16 points and 22 in PIR) and Musa (13 and 14) were the standout performers.

The biggest news was the return of Deck, who was back in the starting line-up 77 days after sustaining an injury. The contest was evenly matched in the early stages. Chus Mateo’s charges benefited from Musa’s three-pointers (9 points), but they were unable to dominate the rebounding or prevent Baskonia from running the floor through Howard and Forrest (11-9; 5'). It was their success from the perimeter (more than 50%) that settled a tight first quarter in the Whites' favour (21-20).
 
Both sides produce scoring runs
The Basque side caught Madrid off guard in less than a minute and a half with a 2-10 run spearheaded by Rogkavopoulos (23-30). The introduction of Tavares and Campazzo improved Madrid's defence. They hindered the opposition's scoring for three minutes and managed to turn the score around at 35-33 after a stunning slam dunk by Hezonja. The 1-13 run roused Laso's team, who hit back at the end of the second quarter to maintain parity and go in one up at half-time (39-40).

Real Madrid came out highly concentrated at both ends of the court, forcing their opponents into turnovers and hitting three-pointers. With Campazzo, Abalde and Tavares, they built an 8-0 run at the start (47-40). When it looked like the Whites were going to pull away on the scoreboard, Baskonia reacted thanks to Luwawu-Cabarrot, who was lively in attack (8 points). Deck's three-pointer almost on the buzzer allowed the home side to take the third quarter (56-53).

Final push and 11th straight league win
Chus Mateo's troops did not waver and went for the win. They went six up after a bright start to the quarter (64-58). With the team racing up the court and finding openings for Hezonja and Llull, the Madridistas increased the gap (69-60). They were accompanied by Feliz with 8 points. Baskonia hung in there and closed the gap again (81-78; 39'). But Llull hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to seal Madrid's 11th straight win in the league and stay unbeaten at home in the competition.