Gabriel Deck with a victorious return as Real take down Maodo Lo's ALBA / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: imago images/Nordphoto - Scanpix Credit imago images/Nordphoto - Scanpix

Gabriel Deck made his return for Real Madrid (16-3) as the Spanish powerhouse extended their winning streak at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to five, taking care of ALBA Berlin (6-13) in Germany 89-74 (19-15, 29-21, 25-20, 16-18).

Player of the Game EFF 18 Thomas Heurtel Points 17 Accuracy 6-10 Rebounds 1 Assists 7

In 9 minutes, Deck accumulated 2 points (1/2 2PT), 1 rebound, 1 foul, and 1 PIR.

Real started the game with a 6-0 lead, but Maodo Lo caught fire, kickstarting an 11-2 run to give ALBA an 11-8 advantage. However, a team effort by Real helped the visitors finish the quarter well, gaining a four-point advantage (19-15).

The visitors continued playing well in the second, starting it out with an 8-0 spurt and achieving a 12-point lead (27-15). Real kept scoring well in the period, going up by 15 points towards the end (48-33). Luke Sikma nailed a last-second 3-pointer to cut ALBA's deficit to 12 going into halftime (36-48).

ALBA were focused coming out of the break and went on a 10-2 run to start the third quarter, cutting their deficit to four (46-50). However, Real responded with an impressive 13-4 spurt, regaining a commanding 17-point advantage (71-54).

It was smooth sailing for Real from that point. They increased their advantage to 23 in the fourth (83-60) and even though ALBA managed to reduce their deficit, Real ended up with a 15-point win.

Thomas Heurtel led Real with 17 points (3/5 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 7 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, and 18 PIR. Vincent Poirier added 13 points (5/8 2PT, 3/3 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 16 PIR.

"They played with a lot of energy defensively and offensively," coach Laso admitted. "When they show that, it’s hard to match up against them, they keep running and it was a long game for us. 15 points advantage on the scoreboard, OK, we won the game, but we have to give them a lot of credit because they really push you."

Maodo Lo was the bright spot for ALBA, finishing the game with 21 points (4/7 2PT, 2/3 3PT, 7/7 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, and 30 PIR.

"It’s a matter of energy," ALBA's coach Gonzalez said. "We couldn’t keep the energy that we had in the last game in Milan. We are tired because we've been 12 or 14 days without practice, and this is what happens when you play so many games in a row. The players did what they can, they gave a great effort again, but the result is bad for us."

Real: Thomas Heurtel 17 (7 AST), Vincent Poirier 13 (5 REB), Guerschon Yabusele 12, Trey Thompkins 10, Adam Hanga 9, Alberto Abalde 8 (5 REB).

ALBA: Maodo Lo 21 (5 REB, 3 STL, 30 PIR), Marcus Eriksson 10, Ben Lammers 10, Oscar da Silva 8, Louis Olinde 8.

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