Real Madrid beats Maccabi 113-99 in Belgrade with 21 three-pointers for fourth straight Euroliga win

A slow start in Belgrade

Real Madrid beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 113-99 on Thursday, 22 October, in the seventh round of the Euroliga at the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall in Belgrade, where Maccabi has been playing in exile. The win lifts Pedro Martínez's side to 4-3 in the standings and extends its run to four straight Euroliga victories. Counting the Liga Endesa, it is the seventh consecutive win in all competitions. Madrid had opened the Euroliga season with three defeats, all of them away from home.

The early minutes went badly for the visitors. Maccabi, with Jimmy Clark III and Yam Madar driving the attack, built a lead of up to 15 points, and El Mundo reports that Madrid conceded 44 points in 15 minutes. El Confidencial says Maledon shot 1 of 13 from the field, though he made all nine of his free throws. The hall held almost no spectators, which El País says made the opening feel muted.

Three-pointers turned the game

The turnaround came from the perimeter. Madrid made 21 of 40 three-point attempts, a 52.5% rate and its best total for made threes in the Euroliga, while its two-point shooting went 12 of 29 (41.4%). The team also recorded 23 assists against eight turnovers. Facundo Campazzo led the scoring with 21 points, followed by Andrés Feliz with 18 and Alberto Abalde and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot with 15 each.

Campazzo, who stayed on the floor despite two fouls, steadied the team in the second quarter. La Razón reports that Madrid made eight of 11 threes in that period, with six players scoring, and that the barrage erased the gap in less than five minutes. Europa Press credits Campazzo with a valuation of 28 and Edy Tavares with 18.

Defence, rotations and the halftime lead

Madrid's defence improved after the opening quarter. Edy Tavares anchored the paint, and Europa Press notes that Madrid leaned less on him after the break, when Jaime Pradilla played at centre. ABC reports that Chuma Okeke and Jantunen started alongside Tavares, which gave Madrid an early rebounding edge. La Razón adds that Madrid grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

Madrid led 52-51 at halftime, and ABC reports that the margin reached eight points in the third quarter. Maccabi coach Oded Kattash saw his rotation run short after a strong opening, and Daniel Theis faded from the early attack, according to Europa Press. Bonzie Colson scored 15 for Maccabi, El Mundo says, but Yam Madar was more closely marked in the second half.

What comes next

Madrid's next game is a trip to Vitoria on Tuesday, 27 October. After that, Fenerbahçe and Panathinaikos visit the Movistar Arena, a run La Razón describes as the stretch that will show the real size of the team. Europa Press noted good minutes from the bench in this win, which Pedro Martínez will need as the fixtures pile up.