The league leaders extend their winning run

Real Madrid got the better of Bàsquet Girona to continue their winning run in the league, picking up a 17th consecutive victory and their 25th in the competition so far. The table-toppers edged a hard-fought encounter, having built up an 11-point lead in the third quarter thanks to some sublime basketball by Musa (17 points). Chus Mateo's boys sewed the game up in the closing stretch to take an important win ahead of Game 3 in the EuroLeague playoff against Olympiacos (Tuesday, 9:00pm CEST). Campazzo (11 points, 7 assists and a PIR of 20) and Musa (22 points, 19 PIR), were the standout performers.

Madrid flew out the blocks with three consecutive triples by Campazzo, Musa and Ndiaye to race to 2-9 in the 4th minute. The hosts hit back quickly though, putting pressure on the ball and relying on the lively Geben to turn the scores around (15-9). Girona were defensively solid, and made the most of some sloppy shooting by the madridistas to take the first quarter (21-15).

Strong madridista response
Our team were keen to play themselves back into the game, and some fine defensive work saw them do just that. Hezonja, Tavares and Deck were on now, providing a boost at both ends, and the increased accuracy around the hoop put our boys back in front (23-26; 16’). The Catalans were running hard, but their shooting didn't match up. Madrid took full advantage to post a 8-19 run in the second quarter and head into the break +5 (29-34).

Girona responded well once again in the early stages of quarter three, levelling the scores at 36-36 (23’). They added to their tally thanks to a strong defensive rebound and some physical play. Chus Mateo's men weren't about to be intimidated though, and a series of corrections in defense, they pulled the scoreboard well in their favour thanks to the unplayable Musa. The Bosnian ace posted 17 points in 8 minutes to drive our team into the final quarter with an 8-point advantage (53-61).

Final push to seal the win
The Catalan outfit again come out strong, upping the intensity in offense. The game was level again with 33 minutes on the clock (63-63), before Hezonja took responsibility. His 9 points were enough for a five-point lead with two minutes left (68-73), and Madrid held on well to the buzzer to extend their winning run (71-79).

BÀSQUET GIRONA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS