Real Madrid defeated Basquet Girona, with a final score of 112-76, in the 10th round of the Spanish championship, in a duel in which “los blancos” increased the gap over their opponents in the last two quarters played, when the difference in completion was noticeable. Trey Lyles, with 16 points scored, respectively, Gabriele Procida, with 15 points, were the basketball players who stood out the most from the home team, while Nikola Maric scored 12 points, but without success for the Catalans. The group led from the sidelines by Sergio Scariola maintained its invincibility against the team founded by Marc Gasol, also managing to establish the clearest score difference against this opponent since the two teams began to duel in the ACB.

The Real Madrid men’s basketball team played at home in round 10 of this season’s ACB against Basquet Girona, at the “Movistar Arena” in the Spanish capital. The team, led by Sergio Scariola from the sidelines, was in third place in the overall standings with a total of 16 points, having won eight and lost just once so far in the domestic competition. In the Catalan camp, the situation was less satisfactory, as the team coached by Moncho Fernandez was in 11th place before the start of the match, eight points behind “los blancos”.

Real Madrid had won a Euroleague victory against Baskonia a few days before the match, by seven points, in their own arena, and also managed to achieve their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions. On the other hand, the Catalan team had three wins and two losses in their last five games, but in their away games, Basquet Girona had not won since the beginning of September, when they beat Joventut, with a final score of 109-89.

The head-to-head record between the two clubs, before the match played in the Movistar Arena, showed that since Basquet Girona entered the Spanish basketball top flight in 2022, the team from the capital of Spain has won every time. The club founded in 2014 by former Iberian basketball player Marc Gasol, who also leads the team as president, came closest to achieving a positive result against “los blancos” in the first match played in history, when six points made the difference between the two groups.

Before this match began, Theo Maledon received the trophy for the best player in the ACB in November of this year, his most recent performance being recorded in the victory obtained by Real Madrid on the field of Granada, when the French basketball player finished the four quarters with a total of 18 points, four rebounds and 10 assists, being the most important athlete on the floor for “los blancos”. The first quarter began with a successful three-pointer by Trey Lyles, and then Juan Fernandez scored two points for the Catalans.

Real Madrid took the lead when Gabriele Procida’s two-point shot went into the basket, although Basquet Girona had scored on a counterattack to tie the score. Sergi Martinez entered the “los blancos” penalty area and completed a quick phase that the visitors managed, but the five-point difference was restored when the same Italian basketball player of the hosts scored once again on a late comeback by the group in the second half of the general classification. Trey Lyles scored for two points for the hosts, after an action that ran extremely fast and did not allow Basquet Girona to anticipate the attack.

Andres Feliz increased the gap between the two teams to seven points, after taking advantage of a good pass received from Trey Lyles. The same Canadian basketball player did not disappoint in front of the board, as he introduced both shots that he had available to the basket. Facundo Campazzo shot for a three-pointer and shook the net of the visitors’ basket, taking his team to nine points ahead of the opposing team. Gabriele Procida reached the finish line and scored for two points, for Josep Busquets to score three points for the visitors, and, immediately after, Alex Len to put the ball in the basket from the corner.

A spectacular phase occurred with about 40 seconds left in the first quarter of this duel, when Mark Hughes dribbled Chuma Okeke on the left flank, and then he threw decisively for three points and to reduce the proportions of the score. Theo Maledon managed an exceptional run and easily passed three or four opponents, and before throwing for the basket, he was fouled. From in front of the board, the French player converted the execution and widened the score difference to six points, 28-22 being the result at the end of the first quarter of this game.

The second quarter started with a clearer offensive presence from the guests, and a three-pointer from Nikola Maric temporarily reduced the score difference, so that, later, two counterattacks put into practice by the hosts led to the score of 35-30, with David Kramer scoring a slam-dunk, after a successful assist from Sergio Llull. The situation on the scoreboard was equalized when Otis Livingston converted both throws that he had at his disposal, the decision coming after a thorough analysis of the phase by the referees’ brigade.

Chuma Okeke was played on the left side of the court in a new offensive phase created by Real Madrid, and the American basketball player scored for three points, so that, in the next action, he would be the protagonist of a sensational slam-dunk. Facundo Campazzo, with his three-pointer, made the stands come alive, and, a few sequences later, Real Madrid reached an 11-point lead, thanks to a quality execution that belonged to Alberto Abalde. On the other side, Sergi Martinez, with an impeccable shot from outside the box, added three points to the scoreboard for his team.

Alex Len, after missing one of the shots he executed from inside the penalty area, “took his revenge” and scored a slam dunk. 12 points was the difference, at one point, between the two teams, after Trent Lyles shook the net of the opposing basket with a long-range shot. The third quarter of this game began with a three-pointer checked by Gabriele Procida, who reached 13 points collected up to that point of the match. Theo Maledon scored from a jump shot for two points, and the Frenchman then scored from the backboard.

The score changed to 69-54 when Usman Garuba was on the move and recovered a rebound from the backboard, and from close range, the Spaniard put it in the basket to score two points for the “los blancos”. Andres Feliz scored twice in a row within seconds to increase the lead to 20 points, the largest margin recorded so far during the match at the “Movistar Arena”. Josep Busquets shot effectively from outside the box to add three points to the total for the Basquet Girona team.

David Kramer scored only once from the backboard, although he had two attempts, and, on the counterattack, Mark Hughes scored from long range for three points. The third quarter of this match ended with a difference of 19 points in favor of “los blancos”. The fourth quarter began with two attempts to throw from the backboard by Facundo Campazzo that ended positively for the team trained by Sergio Scariola. An impressive phase occurred when there were approximately six minutes left in this round, as Facundo Campazzo passed between the legs of an opponent, and Izan Almansa Perez completed the action.

Thanks to this success, Real Madrid has provisionally climbed to the first step in the general classification, accumulating 18 points, but Valencia, the leader before the round, has a less contested match. On the other hand, Basquet Girona remains in the second part of the current hierarchy, with a total of eight points collected up to this point of the season. The next match that “los blancos” will play will take place in the “Euroleague”, where the team from the Spanish capital will play against those from Milan, away, while the team from Catalonia will receive the visit of those from Tenerife.