The two Real Madrid newcomers delivered without hesitation in the final minutes
Los Blancos turned to Lyles, debutant Maledon in win over Partizan
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 4 of 38
Regular Season
Real MadridRMB
9386
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
Overview
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It took little time for Theo Maledon to get in the thick of things for Real Madrid. And another newcomer, Trey Lyles, to display what kind of a difference-maker he can be for Los Blancos.
This was Maledon’s first EuroLeague game in a Real uniform after starting the season with an injury. Not that, nor spending just 14 minutes and 15 seconds on the floor, prevented him from playing a key role down the stretch.
Maledon had 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, while Lyles shined with 17 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time, as Real registered its third consecutive win, this time fending off a big fourth-quarter rally by the visiting Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, to grab a 93-86 victory.
Real dominated Partizan for three quarters and led by as many as 21 points. It was 80-61 with 6 minutes to go when Coach Zeljko Obradovic rallied his troops to get within 84-80 with 2 minutes to go.
On the ensuing trip down the floor, it was first Maledon who managed to draw a foul as the shot-clock was expiring and Lyles used the new 14 seconds to drive to the rim and score in heavy traffic.
After 2 free throws from Jabari Parker restored a 4-point difference, Maledon calmly answered by nailing a corner triple after using a screen from Walter Tavares, to give Los Blancos a 7-point cushion. After another Partizan basket, it was Facundo Campazzo who sent a no-look pass for Lyles, whose layup sealed the deal with 33 seconds to go.
“It means a lot to any player when your teammates are relying on you and look for you in those moments,” Lyles said in a postgame interview for EuroLeague TV. “It’s a good feeling to have, and we have guys that are unselfish and share the ball, so it makes playing a lot easier and the shots a lot easier.”
Lyles has improved in each of the four games he played, and in this one he was 5-of-6 on two-pointers and 2-of-4 shooting threes. His stat line had 5 rebounds, 2 steals and a key highlight-reel chase-down block with 2:20 to go in the fourth quarter, that stopped a Partizan fast break.
On the other hand, Maledon had his first Real Madrid outing in front of the home fans, and he enjoyed every bit of it.
“It felt great, it felt amazing to play in front of our fans, to start at home. I definitely felt the love that the fans gave us, so I'm really grateful for that, the 24-year old French point guard said.
After he entered the floor with 8:24 left in the second quarter, it took him just over 60 seconds to get his first assist on a Mario Hezonja three-pointer, and less than 2 minutes to score his first points of the EuroLeague season.
“I was able to get a rhythm, to play my game”, Maledon explained. “Obviously, coming back [from injury] there's always things to improve, so I think it was a great first one, especially that we got the win.
“I know I'll be on minute restrictions. Obviously, we'll try to test how I feel and hopefully go on from there. So, I was really just focused on being myself and seeing if I can help the team and play my game.”
Maledon made 4-of-7 field goals and flashed his quick first step to harass defenders and get to the free throw line where he made all 7 free throws for the night. It turned out, Real Madrid needed every bit of it after comfortably cruising for 34 minutes.
“I think we have enough experience to have a better control in those moments,” coach Real head coach Sergio Scariolo said after the win. “You know that an opponent like Partizan with such great system, great players, great coach will come back to the game. At this point, we don’t have the consistency and endurance to last at this level for 40 minutes, but we have to contain damages during the bad minutes.”
That damage control will likely get tested in 48 hours, with Real next traveling to play Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet at Belgrade Arena.
