Real Madrid facing anxious wait for Walter Tavares injury news

Real Madrid remained in the upper echelons of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings after grabbing a fifth consecutive victory on Friday night, as it downed LCLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 71-75 at the Astroballe. But the win could come at a very high price, because star big man Walter Tavares could not finish the game after suffering an ankle injury in the last minute.
Tavares got tangled up with Nando De Colo as the ASVEL guard tried to drive to the basket, before immediately sinking to the floor in agony after rolling over his ankle. It was quickly clear that Tavares would not be able to continue and he was helped into the locker room by Real’s staff, unable to return as his team held on for the win.
After the game, Real coach Chus Mateo confirmed that Tavares had twisted his ankle but added that he does not yet know the extent of the damage, and the Spanish team now faces an anxious wait to discover more about the center’s availability in the coming weeks.
Tavares had earlier shown his value once again, providing 7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, finishing with a PIR of 15 – the second highest of all players – as he repeatedly thwarted ASVEL’s attempts to score close to the basket with his dominant physical presence. Real will hope that it can count on Tavares heading into the upcoming double-round week.