Edy Tavares' monster game leads Real Madrid to triumph over Barca, final vs. Olympiacos / News - Basketnews.com

Spearheaded by Edy Tavares, who racked up a double-double, Real Madrid made their second straight EuroLeague title game with a 78-66 win over underwhelming FC Barcelona.

Credit: R.Snarskis Credit R.Snarskis

Exactly like Olympiacos in the first EuroLeague semi-final, Real Madrid pulled off a comeback in the second half and celebrated a big 78-66 (18-18, 18-24, 22-13, 20-11) win over rivals FC Barcelona.

Player of the Game EFF 38 Walter Tavares Points 20 Accuracy 7-9 Rebounds 15 Assists 1

Edy Tavares recorded one of his career-best games with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 38 in PIR. Sergio Rodriguez and Nigel Williams-Goss gave Los Blancos great push in the second part, while Mario Hezonja was solid on both ends.

Barcelona's campaign ended up in another letdown, as Sarunas Jasikevicius couldn't help his team from the bench when it really mattered. Barca collapsed in the last 20 minutes, scoring only 24 points, with 2022 EuroLeague MVP and 2023 All-EuroLeague Second Team member Nikola Mirotic finishing with 3 points, going 1/10 from the field, 1/2 from the stripe and recording -2 in PIR.

When Barca were holding the edge, Alex Abrines and Kyle Kuric did the heavy lifting. Abrines had 16 points, Kuric added 11, while Nico Laprovittola racked up 12 points for the losing side. That was Real Madrid's 4th straight win over Barca in Final Four history.

The team from the Spanish capital will now face Olympiacos Piraeus in Sunday's title game (19:00 CET) in the Zalgirio arena, Kaunas.

Real Madrid's superiority on the offensive glass (5 in the first quarter) allowed them to control the rhythm of the game, even though Barca found some open shots at the beginning.

However, Rokas Jokubaitis turned into a game-changer, breaking Madrid's zone defense with solid decision-making plays. The Catalan side went off to a 7-0 run and re-gained the lead (27-22) after Chus Mateo's squad had gotten the upper hand.

Alex Abrines and Kyle Kuric were the ones who pushed Barcelona offensively. Jokubaitis lost a tooth in a collision and came back after a short visit to the doctor. However, Barcelona kept scoring with ease, increasing their lead to nine (40-31).

Real Madrid / Schedule

FC Barcelona Real Madrid66-78 Olympiacos Piraeus Real MadridSun17:00

On the other hand, despite the fact that only Walter Tavares was up to par, Madrid managed to stay close. Sergio Llull gave his side some momentum going into the second half with one of his trademark circus shots.

As time went by, Real Madrid started to feel more confident. Nikola Mirotic was nowhere to be found and the 10-time continental champs feasted on Barca's inability to capitalize on their opponents' weak rotation. Nigel Williams-Goss saw Tavares open some space for him and kept Los Blancos ahead (47-54).

Mario Hezonja responded to his tasks as a power forward, however, Barca was still lurking around the corner (55-58) at the end of the third quarter.

Nine straight points by Sergio Rodriguez put Madrid ahead by seven (67-60) with less than five minutes left and Jasikevicius called a timeout. Nikola Mirotic scored his first point from the free-throw line and two minutes later, he made his maiden field goal.

At the same time, Jasikevicius was keeping Mike Tobey on the bench while Sertac Sanli was obviously having a bad night (-7 in PIR, scoreless on 0/4 FG) and Edy Tavares was proving to everyone why he's this year's best defender.

Real Madrid: Edy Tavares 20 (7/9 FG, 6/9 FT, 15 REB, 3 TO), Sergio Rodriguez 12 (4/8 FG, 2/2 FT, 5 AST, 2 ST, 2 TO), Mario Hezonja 14 (5/13 FG, 9 REB), Nigel Williams-Goss 10 (4/9 FG, 2 AST), Dzanan Musa 7.

FC Barcelona: Alex Abrines 16 (5/10 FG, 2/2 FT, 4 REB), Nicolas Laprovittola 12 (4/15 FG, 0/1 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST), Kyle Kuric 11 (3 ST), Tomas Satoransky 7 (11 REB, 3 AST).

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