Madrid pays heavy price for poor first half at Milan

The Spanish team faced the excitement of completing the play-off qualifications of the tournament with eight matches to be played. For this purpose He also saved Walter Tavares and Sergio Llull.The person he missed at times during his injuries.

The night started well for Chus Mateo’s men, they were good in attack and scored goals with ease 5-12 forced Ettore Messina to take the first break. They continued this good dynamic until 15-19, with two free kicks from Bosnian Dzanan Musa. A one-and-a-half act drama followed until half-time; A visiting collapse no one saw coming.

Shavon Shields Having previously warned, he opened fire from five consecutive points and was joined on the execution mission by an old friend and now foe of Real Madrid. Nikola Mirotic. The Montenegrin shot with precision and brutality until he scored 11 consecutive points between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second. Together they scored 22 of their team’s 26 points at that point.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, remained at 19. Even the bench did not help and only three points were achieved in the first half. When he finally gets out of his block, Walter Tavares’ hot free throw to break a 21-0 runIt seemed too late anyway (36-20, min.25).

The 16 points he got in favor of the Italian team was very heavy, especially considering that he did not want to give up his effectiveness in outside shooting or his strength in interior defense. In the first half, Milan doubled its opponent in rebounds 26-13; and had only conceded four two-point baskets each, three in the first four minutes of the game and another two seconds before the break (48-29, min.20).

Given the circumstances, the Madrid team could only improve. His composure allowed him to reach fourteen points thanks to a three-pointer by Gabriel Deck midway through the third quarter. Despite getting five points in a row from Rodney McGruder, who gave back the +19 he received when passing the locker room, he recovered again. a 0-7 that reduces the distance to twelve Who did he face in the last ten minutes?

What sometimes seemed impossible was a visitor showing vital signs in the final quarter. Even on those, both sides spent two minutes without putting the ball in the basket, a negative dynamic that Mirotic broke with a three-pointer.

And then Real Madrid’s resurrection is certain. Sergio Rodríguez took the helm and captained the ship that was his home, nailing two 3-pointers and an assist on Vincent Poirier’s through-ball. Guerschon Yabusele and Sergio Llull started rowing with them and suddenly A 2-15 streak put the team in the top three. Seeing is believing.

However, if there is anyone who does not want a comeback on the track, it is of course myrotic. His pride added to his quality and competitiveness evoked that version that made him one of the best players in Europe. And these are big words.

Balkan brought Milan back to its feet and pulled the team as much as he couldat least to keep him ahead in the final stretch. Real Madrid would have drawn if they had made a three-point shotbut this did not happen. And Shields’ steal and subsequent drive to the basket, complete with two frees, resulted in the balance being upset.