

Real Madrid struggled for much of its Round 18 game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade but ended up winning 59-79 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Finding the right lineup was critical to Los Blancos' success.
Real found Guerschon Yabusele and Walter Tavares early, and once its backcourt players, Nigel Williams-Goss and Dzanan Musa in particular, found their rhythm, the visitors built a 19-31 margin.
Coach Dusko Ivanovic reacted by sending Ognjen Kuzmic to play alongside Filip Petrusev for a big lineup. Tavares replaced an injured Kuzmic when he joined Real in the 2017-18 season. Kuzmic played strong defense against him and Petrusev felt more comfortable at the '4' position. That allowed Zvezda to race to a 47-42 lead.
Real had to find ways to feed Tavares down low and Coach Mateo found answers by spreading the floor as much as possible, playing Musa and stretch power forward Petr Cornelie together on the court. He also brought in pass-first playmaker Sergio Rodriguez. Then Real started to find Tavares easily and helped Los Blancos go on a mammoth 4-27 run. Those four players combined for 25 points in that run, giving Real a 51-69 margin midway through the third quarter to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer.