Real Madrid stopped the free fall of the last week with a worthy victory against Unicaja, leader of the ACB (90-77). A much-needed victory for both the white players and their coach, Chus Mateo, who was on the tight rope after three painful consecutive defeats. The Madrid team relied on the Argentine connection between Campazzo and Deck to overcome the Malaga team, who were far from the level that had led them to win 15 of their 16 official matches up to that point.
The match seemed decisive for Chus Mateo, who, in the run-up, asked his players for a leap in confidence and aggressiveness. They responded with a solid start to the game, with great defensive intensity and high effectiveness in attack. The success from the triple by Abalde and Deck allowed an 8-0 start that disconcerted the league leader, unable to score until four minutes into the game.
That start, so unusual, anticipated what the game was going to be like. A tap-in from Ndiaye and another triple from Deck extended Madrid’s lead, while Unicaja tried, without success, to add more speed to their game. A triple by Carter was necessary for the Malaga team to begin to balance the score, closing the first quarter with a 18-13 lead in favor of the white team.
Sergio Llull, very successful in his shots from any distance, was Madrid’s key piece in the second quarter. Although Unicaja came within one point at the beginning of the period, the white captain, together with Andrés Feliz, once again widened the difference, which reached 12 points.
However, the ten fouls committed by Madrid in this period were decisive for Unicaja to get closer thanks to their complete success in free throws (14 of 14). Despite this, the league leader did not have his best day in field goals, which prevented him from making the upset. At halftime, the score read 39-34.
The match continued on the same path after the break, although with new protagonists. Deck, unstoppable in every action, became Madrid’s point of reference, the player who resolved when everything seemed to get complicated. He was not alone in the brilliance. Abalde, always effective in defense, contributed in attack with a triple and a 2+1 that expanded the lead. For his part, Campazzo left his mark with a 5 of 5 in shots of two and 6 assists, being one of the best on the team.
Meanwhile, Unicaja continued accumulating improper errors: failed counterattacks, turnovers… Only Kravish kept up, both in the paint and in outside shots. Thanks to him, and despite the poor collective level, the people of Malaga managed to keep the disadvantage below ten points.
This is how the last quarter was reached (60-52). Unicaja needed a radical turnaround to have any chance, but Madrid did not allow it. Hezonja appeared at key moments, and Deck returned to the court to consolidate an advantage that, this time, was extended definitively. With Unicaja already defeated, the match lost intensity, except for an attempted fight between Ostakowski and Ibaka, which spoiled the end. The Hispanic-Congolese ended up disqualified along with Ejim and Tyson Pérez.
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