I’m back to Movistar Arena to watch the Real Madrid vs Valencia Basket game.
This was a top of the table clash between the two best teams in the country. Real Madrid top of the table whereas Valencia only sat one win behind Los Blancos in the Liga Endesa. The last time these two side played was in the Liga Endesa finals where Real Madrid triumphed 81-70. Top scorer Mario Hezonja for Real Madrid provided another great performance in this game.
The first quarter was a tale of one team. Valencia came out the gates red hot from beyond the arc making 7/12 3pts. In particular, Thompson who scored 8 points in the quarter. Compared to Real Madrid who only scored 9 points in the quarter.
However, the second quarter started a white tidal wave that Valencia could not handle. This comeback was led by Real Madrid veteran Llull who exploded for 11 points in the quarter. The fans were cheering on the side throughout this period. This fuelled the fire for the comeback. The game went into half time even, as Valencia’s hot long range shooting started to cool off.
The third quarter is where Real Madrid began to create separation. This was led by Mario Hezonja who went off for 15 points in the quarter. Valencia struggled to replicate their first quarter performance as Thompson tried to keep them in the game. Real Madrid created a 16 point lead going into the final quarter.
The final quarter saw a professional performance from Real Madrid who saw out the game. Valencia conceded a lot of fouls allowing Real Madrid to get easy points from the free throw line, 16 points.
The fans played a major part in this game. They showed constant support for the players especially during the difficult first quarter period. Mario Hezonja was a player that stood out scoring 23 points in the game and led Los Blancos to the win. As a result, he is my Player of the Match.
