Real Madrid continues its flawless run with a performance that reflects a well-oiled machine on the court. In a Euroleague clash that had been delayed on the sixth day, the white squad stretched its winning streak by taking down Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade with a commanding 70-99 result.
The early strategy was clear: attack the interior and leverage depth to wear down the opponent. Real Madrid leaned heavily on the inside game, with Walter Tavares delivering a dominant display at the heart of the defense and attack. His presence, paired with the precise orchestrations of Facundo Campazzo, turned the interior into a high-percentage battleground for the visitors. Tavares controlled the paint, while Campazzo threaded passes and created scoring opportunities, setting the tone for a night where the Spanish side dictated the tempo through ball movement and physicality.
By the end of the first period, Cape Verdean center Walter Tavares had tallied 15 of the team’s 36 points, and Campazzo contributed eight points plus six assists, underscoring the effectiveness of their collaboration. Gabriel Deck also joined the party, joining a late surge of precision that had the Israeli side on the back foot in the last five minutes of the quarter (21-36). The visitors demonstrated their resolve and moved to establish a strong foothold early on.
An unstoppable phenomenon on the floor—Tavares’ movement combined with his authority became a focal point of the Madrid attack. A highlight reel moment from the night captured his impact, circulating on social media as a symbol of the team’s command on both ends of the court. The arc of the game suggested that Real Madrid would lean on its interior game and transition opportunities to sustain momentum throughout the contest.
When Dzanan Musa failed to spark a comeback on the return to play, the hosts surged ahead by 19 points with a quick four-point sequence. Chus Mateo, watching from the bench, saw his team respond with a 6-0 run to blunt any looming danger. From there, the Spaniards sought to widen the gap, while Maccabi scrambled to find answers and reassert themselves. The match began to tilt toward Madrid as the second unit extended the pressure, yet both teams found trouble at times from long range, converting only a handful of three-pointers across the opening stretch in a shootout that became decisive in the final minutes.
With the opening phases behind them, Madrid faced a temporary dry spell in scoring, while the Israeli squad grew into the game again. The two sides combined for just five successful three-pointers out of 24 attempts before the late stretch produced the pivotal plays that would settle the outcome. In the end, Maccabi’s persistent rebounding and offensive duels could not overturn Real Madrid, which closed the first half with a 41-52 score line and carried momentum into the second half.
Restart action brought another spark for Real Madrid as Tavares found his rhythm again, delivering a subtle but effective revival. Yet Wade Baldwin IV stood as a counterpoint on the opposite wing, answering with five consecutive points, followed by a triple from Lorenzo Brown and another from James Webb III. This stretch produced an 11-0 burst that narrowed the deficit to six and signaled a tense, competitive second half where the outcome would be decided by small margins and strategic execution.
GAME OF THE YEAR energy electrified the arena and the online chatter alike, a reminder of how closely these teams battled for every possession. Madrid’s cohesion and experience, blended with occasional flashes of individual brilliance, kept Maccabi within striking distance for much of the night, fueling a narrative of resilience and tenacity that has become a hallmark of their continental campaigns. The exchange underscored the intensity of Euroleague basketball, where a single rhythm shift can redefine a quarter and alter the tone of the game in a heartbeat.
Mario Hezonja, stepping into moments of improvisational brilliance, took charge at a critical juncture, scoring ten points in just over three minutes to puncture Maccabi’s momentum. His contribution, along with the disciplined execution from the Madrid squad, helped seal the path to victory as the game rolled toward its final minutes. Without the pressure of a late collapse, the Spanish side reclaimed its steady, confident approach in the closing quarter, turning the contest into a showcase of collective strength and strategic balance.
In the decisive period, Madrid demonstrated how to close out a contest with poise. The combination play between Sergio Rodríguez and Vincent Poirier produced moments of elegance and efficiency, while the squad collectively stepped up from beyond the arc when needed. The final minutes unfolded with a sense of inevitability, and Real Madrid sealed a commanding 70-99 triumph that reflected both depth and discipline in their Euroleague pursuit.
Lineups: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 70 – Baldwin IV, Brown, Colson, Cohen, Nebo, Cleveland, Webb III, Sorkin, Rivero, Blatt, Menco, Mayer. Real Madrid 99 – Campazzo, Deck, Hezonja, Abalde, Tavares, Sergio Rodríguez, Poirier, Llull, Ndiaye, Rudy Fernández, Musa, Hugo González. Referees: Matej Boltauzer, Mehdi Difallah, Ioannis Foufis. Event: The game was the sixth-day delay of the Euroleague match played at the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall in Belgrade. [citation needed]