A superb Tavares leads the victory against Asvel

Real Madrid picked up another huge win against Asvel at the Movistar Arena in the final stretch of the Euroleague Regular Season, keeping them in the fight to get into the playoffs. Chus Mateo's men, who are one win away from sixth place with four games to go, were clearly superior to the French team with a sublime Tavares in the first half (19 points out of his 23 points). Our boys practically sealed the game in the first quarter with a 32-10 scoreline to manage the lead in what followed. Llull (12) and Musa (10) were the other players to score in double figures.

Real Madrid got off to a great start, going 15-0 after five minutes thanks to their concentration at the back and an elaborate attack with Tavares as the launching pad. The centre was unstoppable in the paint, scoring 14 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and racking up a PIR of 19 in just over six minutes. Chus Mateo's rotations maintained the level and the team was very accurate in shooting (8/11 on two-pointers and 4/7 on three-pointers), in a spectacular first quarter that Llull rounded off with one of his three-pointers for a +22 lead (32-10, min.10).

Our boys continued with their lesson in collective play at the start of the second quarter, moving the ball perfectly and scoring with great fluidity until they reached their biggest lead, 41-19, in the 14th minute. Feliz, Hezonja, Deck and Bruno Fernando all enjoying good spells. Then came the reaction from Asvel, based on full-court pressure and Maledon assuming his role as leader. But Madrid were hardly troubled because they regained control of the rebound and found Tavares, who went into the break with 19 points (52-34, min.20).

Madrid held on to their lead
Madrid's total control of the game allowed Chus Mateo to hand out some game-time. Asvel was unable to get close enough in a third quarter that was less offensive than the previous two. In the last quarter, the French, always under the baton of Maledon, took advantage of several Madrid errors to get within 10 points with 71-63 in the 35th minute. However, Hezonja, with a three-pointer, and then Llull, with five points in a row, restored normality and led Madrid to their 16th Euroleague victory (81-70, min.40).

REAL MADRID-ASVEL STATISTICS