Pascual gives another update for Napier: 'We are waiting for him; he'll be with us soon' / News - Basketnews.com

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Real Madrid (20-3) again looked unbeatable in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. The Blancos got their 20th victory of the season, remaining undefeated at home after an easy victory against Zenit Saint Petersburg (14-8).

Zenit Saint Petersburg / Schedule

Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Zenit Saint Petersburg82-90 Real Madrid Zenit Saint Petersburg85-64 ALBA Berlin Zenit Saint PetersburgThu19:00

Since the loss at Kazan back in October, Madrid has won 15 of its 16 games in the competition.

Pablo Laso could not hide his satisfaction with his team effort during the game, highlighting the capacity of focusing on the most important aspects.

"Congratulations on the team for the win. We read the game very well. We improved during the game, allowing us to control the game better.

Zenit competed very well given the circumstances, so the result probably does not show what happened on the court," said Laso.

Madrid ended the double-round week with two victories.

"It has been a great week for us, winning two important games. I have the feeling that we understand exactly what each player has to do," added the 54-year-old coach.

Laso had a special mention for Nigel Williams-Goss, who played 19 minutes and could not score.

"He may be mad because he did not score any single point, but he has contributed a lot during the game."

Finally, Laso explained the importance of finishing the regular season among the best four teams.

"Of course, this is our goal. The playoffs are very near. We are not there yet, but we are in the right way, we are having a great season," he ensured.

On the other hand, Xavi Pascual admitted his team could not compete for 40 minutes against Real.

"I want to congratulate Madrid for this game. They were much better than us. Obviously, at this moment, we are not ready to play against such a team. We competed for the first 20 minutes.

We missed some open shots and transition attacks which gave them confidence. We did not start well in the second half, so we could not handle Madrid anymore," began the Spanish coach.

Zenit is managing a shorter rotation due to some injuries in this period of the season.

"To beat Real Madrid, we must have all players and probably play the best game ever. In the situation that we are in, we have to be happy about these games in Spain. We got at least one win. We need to continue. We are trying to go through to this difficult moment as best as we can," analyzed Zenit's head coach.

Asked if Shabazz Napier could make his debut in the upcoming games, Pascual showed some kind of optimism.

"We are waiting for him; he will be with us soon. Let's see how he evolves. Mateusz Ponitka is also helping in this position. We are struggling a bit with some injuries," concluded Xavi.

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