Crvena Zvezda force Real Madrid to fourth straight loss, stay in playoff race / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (10-12) downed Real Madrid (16-6) 65-62 (16-15, 19-13, 8-14, 22-20) in a rescheduled Round 20 game held in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

Player of the Game EFF 13 Dejan Davidovac Points 13 Accuracy 3-5 Rebounds 2 Assists 0

That was the Serbian team's third consecutive home win and Madrid's fourth straight loss. The Spanish powerhouse has serious problems to address on offense, averaging only 55.3 points during those games, as they have never surpassed the 70-point mark (51-66 to Fenerbahce, 68-86 to FC Barcelona, 47-68 to Zalgiris Kaunas).

Zvezda will have another chance to increase their playoff chances when they face Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on Thursday night, while Real Madrid will clash with AX Armani Exchange Milan on the same day.

Walter Tavares was by far Real Madrid's best player, as the center from the Capo Verde racked up a double-double of 18 points-10 rebounds. Sergio Llull followed with 20 points on 5/10 three-point shots, including those that allowed his team to stay in the game when the hosts were up by seven (63-56) with less than two minutes remaining.

Zvezda played without guard Stefan Markovic and center Maik Zirbes. Dejan Davidovac and Nikola Ivanovic logged 13 points apiece, while Nate Wolters scored 12for the hosts, who went 21/27 free-throws and 4/16 three-point shots.

Madrid were even worse, with 9/37 from deep and 14 offensive boards overall. Now, the second place in the standings is really in question for Pablo Laso who's facing criticism for the first time in his ten-year stint with the club.

Austin Hollins knocked down 5/5 free throws at the beginning, when the hosts were struggling offensively. Real Madrid, on the other hand, relied heavily on Walter Tavares' imposing figure in the paint and their dominance on the offensive glass. Pablo Laso's men counted 5 offensive rebounds in the first seven minutes, which allowed them plenty of second-chance points.

Free throws this season

72%12,5Points made:12,5Accuracy:71,9%Place in standings:9Record max:21Record min:4Most made FTs:Nikola KalinicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

That element was particularly important on a night when Madrid's players were repeatedly missing the target from downtown, going for 2/17 in the first 15 minutes. Despite the guests' drought, Trey Thompkins and Sergio Llull supplied the answer when Zvezda went up.

A time-out by Dejan Radonjic was all the Serbian team needed. Two consecutive three-pointers by Nate Wolters made it 32-26 for Red Star, allowing their noisy crowd to get more involved.

A look at Madrid's boxscore reveals that only five players (Poirier, Tavares, Llull, Yabusele, Thompkins) scored in the first half for 'Los Blancos, while all other participants were 0/12 from the field. The Spanish side made almost a turnover for every assist handed out (10-11), as opposed to Zvezda's 7 steals.

The contest kept its low-scoring character in the third quarter, when Real Madrid bounced back, courtesy of players like Hanga and Heurtel, who were essentially absent in the first half.

Nate Wolters hit his second three-pointer in the game to make it 50-45 with eight minutes left on the clock. Real responded with a dagger from Yabusele, his first, but Ognjen Dobric responded immediately with five straight points.

Even when Red Star got a seven-point lead (57-50), the guests saw Llull and Abalde keep them in contention. Dejan Davidovac made one of the contest's most crucial plays, drawing Thompkins's 5th foul and making 4 of his 5 free throws.

Madrid went scoreless for a couple of minutes, until Sergio Llull cut down the deficit to four (59-63). Luka Mitrovic grabbed an important offensive board over Tavares, but Zvezda wasted the play and Llull hit again from a long distance.

Real came really close (63-62) and then chose to send Nikola Ivanovic to the charity stripe. The Montenegrin guard sank both free throws (65-62) and in Madrid's last offense, Lllull tried to draw the contact from Davidovac and ended up shooting an airball three-pointer.

Crvena Zvezda Belgrade: Dejan Davidovac 13 (3/5 FG, 7/9 FT), Nikola Ivanovic 13 (3/7 FG, 6/6 FT), Nate Wolters 12 (5/10 FG, 4 REB, 2 AST), Ognjen Dobric 9, Nikola Kalinic 8 (5 REB).

Real Madrid: Sergio Llull 20 (6/11 FG, 3/3 FT), Walter Tavares 11 (4/7 FG, 3/3 FT, 11 REB, 3 TO), Guerschon YABUSELE 8 (4 REB), Trey Thompkins 6.

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