Laso praises Zalgiris’ performance and talks about defense: 'It is giving us consistency' / News - Basketnews.com

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Real Madrid (7-2) remained unbeaten at home in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after a solid victory against Zalgiris Kaunas (95-82).

Player of the Game EFF 23 Vincent Poirier Points 12 Accuracy 3-3 Rebounds 4 Assists 2

The Blancos were led by Guerschon Yabusele, who scored 15 points and ended with 21 of PIR.

“I do not focus on my personal performances. I just try to help the team win the games, and that’s all that matters to me”, said the French forward.

Pablo Laso admitted he is happy with the victory but also expressed his thoughts after a tough game.

“When you won by 13 points in the EuroLeague, obviously you should be happy. And I am. But my feeling is that we did not play well for the whole game.

I think we got the advantage in the first quarter playing defense at the end. I am happy with that effort”, began the Spanish coach, who embraced how Real Madrid is doing so far on defense.

“If we want to win games, we have to be consistent, and I think our defense is giving us consistency. We are in November, and we are fine, but we have room to improve”, he said.

Laso also wanted to talk about Zalgiris’ performance during the game, recognizing some qualities from Kaunas powerhouse.

“We knew that we had to play 100% if we wanted to stop this team. They have quality, good players, and if you let them play, they can create baskets. If you see their position in the standings, you don’t believe it. At least I don’t”, he continued.

The 54-year-old coach repeated once again how competitive the EuroLeague is.

“Anyone can beat anyone, and you have to be ready to play hard and well every single night. When we were not concentrated, they got the advantage. It is a good lesson for us”.

Asked about Madrid’s veteran duo, with Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull, Laso just congratulated them.

“Rudy has made a complete game. Sometimes he does a lot of things that are not in the stats. But today, he also scored. Then, Llull has understood what we needed in every moment of the game,” Laso said.

Vincent Poirier also gave his point of view about the game, highlighting Zalgiris’ mentality.

“They came here 0-8, but in this competition, we do not have bottom or top teams. Every week is against a great team. Every game matters, and it is tough”, concluded the center.

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