Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss by rallying in the fourth quarter to top visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 91-84 in the Spanish capital on Friday.
Real rallies past ASVEL
Game Report
1 min read
Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss by rallying in the fourth quarter to top visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 91-84 in the Spanish capital on Friday. Real improved to 7-5 in the standings and recorded its fifth consecutive home win while ASVEL dropped to 3-7. ASVEL led 58-70 in the final minute of the third quarter but Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez, Edy Tavares, Trey Thompkins and Fabien Causeur all stepped up for Real to rally their team to a new victory. Tavares and Llull led the winners with 19 points apiece. Causeur added 13 for Real. ASVEL got 21 points apiece from Norris Cole and Guerschon Yabusele, 13 from David Lighty and 11 from Allerik Freeman.
Regular Season
Round 12 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Freeman started ASVEL with a three-pointer and a driving layup, then Yabusele struck twice from downtown and added a put-back basket for a 6-13 visitors' lead. Nicolas Laprovittola hit a triple for Madrid, sparking a 9-0 run which Anthony Randolph capped with a jumper to put Real ahead, 15-13. Cole, Yabusele and Freeman each buried one from beyond the arc, and Lighty added a fastbreak layup to restore a 17-24 ASVEL lead. Moustapha Fall downed a jumper that Tavares matched with an alley-oop slam to get Real within 19-26 after 10 minutes. Cole hit a corner triple early in the second quarter, but Llull came up with a barrage of three consecutive threes in 48 seconds to bring Real within 32-35. Fall scored around the basket, then Antoine Diot and William Howard joined the three-point shootout but Usman Garuba and Thompkins kept the hosts within 36-43. Alberto Abalde banked in a turnaround jumper and Thompkins added a layup but Cole and Yabusele kept ASVEL way ahead, 40-50, at halftime.
Yabusele and Tavares traded dunks right after the break, then Freeman struck from beyond the arc for a 43-55 score. Gabriel Deck and Causeur scored around the rim in an 8-0 run that Tavares capped with a layup to give Real hope at 51-55. Cole downed a three-pointer and found Ismael Bako for a dunk. Lighty added consecutive baskets to force a Real timeout at 57-68. Cole downed a step-back jumper but Tavares and Llull brought Real a bit closer, 61-70, after 30 minutes. Fernandez sank back-to-back triples early in the fourth quarter but Lighty answered with a wild three-point play for a 67-73 ASVEL lead. Causeur took over with consecutive running floaters but Cole and Yabusele restored a 71-77 advantage for the visitors with under 6 minutes left. Thompkins scored in transition, getting help from Tavares, Llull and Causeur to tie the game, 79-79. Llull sank his fifth three-pointer to complete the hosts' comeback, 82-79. Tavares scored again and Thompkins sank a jumper to seal the outcome, 86-80, in the next-to-last minute.
Game Leaders
Pivotal performer
Tavares won his much-anticipated matchup against Fall. Tavares finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting plus 6 rebounds and 4 blocks for a PIR of 29. Fall finished the game with 6 points, 3 rebounds and a PIR of 5. Tavares was all over the place and effective at both ends.
Game-changing moment
ASVEL led 73-79 midway through the fourth quarter but free throws by Tavares, Llull and Causeur tied it at 79-79. Llull buried a critical three-pointer and Tavares added a put-back basket that capped an 11-0 run. Real never looked back after that.
Stellar stat
Real shot much better than ASVEL inside the arc and took a much better care of the basketball. The hosts hit 25-of-40 two-point shots (62.5%) and limited ASVEL to 18-of-37 (48.6%). Real had 16 assists and 8 turnovers. On the other hand, ASVEL had 12 assists and 15 turnovers.
Did you know?
ASVEL buried 17-of-24 three-pointers against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens on Tuesday and opened the game with 9-of-10 tonight. That's 26-of-34 three-point shots (76.5%). ASVEL hit just 2 of 12 (16.6%) after that point, however.