Real Madrid fell to an 80-72 defeat at the hands of Bitci Baskonia in a tightly fought contest at the Wizink Center.
The league leaders were back in Endesa League action for the first time in three weeks but were unable to chalk up a victory against the Basque team in round 23.
The Whites controlled proceedings throughout the majority of the first half, but a second-half fightback from the visiting side – courtesy of some dead-eye three-point shooting – handed them the win. Edy Tavares was Real Madrid’s highest performer on the night, scoring 16 points.
Before the tip-off, both teams took to the court wearing t-shirts that read “Everyone with Ukraine” and joined together behind a banner that promoted the same message.
Pablo Laso’s men raced out of the traps early on in the game and accumulated an 8-0 lead, before Baskonia halted their momentum with Matt Costello and Rokas Giedraitis both hitting shots from behind the arc.
But the tall figure of Tavares proved to be the difference, as his six points meant Real Madrid ended the opening quarter with a 16-14 lead.
Some sharp shooting early on in the second period quickly put the hosts up 26-18, with Thomas Huertel – who recorded eight assists on the night – coming off the bench to provide extra creativity.
The Frenchman’s composure on the ball created opportunities for Jeffery Taylor and Rudy Fernandez to both hit three-pointers, as Madrid took a game-high 12-point lead.
Baskonia clawed back some points towards the end of the first half, with the two teams heading into half-time with the hosts leading 38-29.
After the break, the team from Vitoria made a strong opening to the third quarter, as Alec Peters and Steven Enoch dominated the rebounds. Peters also scored five points to help pull his side level at 44-44 in the seventh minute of the quarter.
Six points from inside the paint from the impressive Tavares ensured Real Madrid remained in the game, but nine points and four assists from Wade Baldwin helped the visitors to a 51-57 lead.
With time running out in the third quarter, a superbly taken three-point shot from Adam Hanga beat the buzzer to bring Madrid back within three points and lift the crowd within the Wizink Centre.
Sergio Llull came off the bench to hit five points in the final quarter, while timely blocks from Vincent Poirier and Hanga helped put the Whites back up 59-57.
The Basque side quickly responded, though, and went on a 14-2 to run – courtesy of some expert shooting from Simone Fonteccio and Costello – with just four minutes left on the clock.
Real Madrid continued to fight until the end and pulled the score back to within four points, but the away side managed to stretch their lead again and secured an 80-72 victory.
After the game, coach Laso said his side’s “poor” second-half performance proved costly and believes “defensive and offensive errors” caused the team to “lose control of the game”.
“It’s a difficult situation because I don’t like losing,” he added. “We did some good things, but we didn’t control the game. We’ve got a demanding fixture list coming up and we’ve got to keep working hard. Baskonia have got very good players in every position. They’ve been improving due to us not being so good.”
Laso emphasized that it’s “very important to play with confidence, especially the shooters”.
“As a team, we have to do things better and we have to convey that message to the squad,” he added. “If the team is lacking in energy, I’m disappointed, but I’m worried right now because we need to improve certain aspects in order to help us control the games.”
Real Madrid will now be looking to bounce back when they face Serbian side Crvena Zvezda in the EuroLeague on Tuesday night.
