Real Madrid grabbed its sixth straight win by beating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-85 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Friday night. Los Blancos dominated from the very beginning, building an early 11-25 lead after 8 minutes and surpassing the 20-point barrier after halftime. Real improves to 8-3, while Fenerbahce drops to 9-2 after losing its first home game of the season.
Real downs Fenerbahce on the road, 71-85
Dzanan Musa led the winners on offense with 18 points and 6 assists. Walter Tavares was a dominant force under the basket, going for 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from two-point range. The Real center also recorded 4 assists and 4 blocks for a PIR of 26. Gabriel Deck finished with 12 points and 8 boards, too. Johnathan Motley led the way for Fenerbahce with 20 points, followed by Devin Booker with 15 and Melih Mahmutoglu with 10.
Game Videos
Devin Booker had an impressive start against Real's big men, scoring all of Fenerbahce’s points for an early 5-4 lead. However, it didn’t take Real long to gain control of the game, thanks to its solid defense – in particular its rebounding and its protection of its rim – and great ball circulation, which saw the visitors carve out an 11-25 edge after 8 minutes. Despite Motley’s efforts inside, Fenerbahce lacked accuracy from the perimeter and a solid contribution for its starters. Real, meanwhile, found timely three-pointers by Sergio Llull and Mario Hezonja late in the second period to go into halftime up 34-46. Musa took over after the break with three triples of his own to boost a 4-16 run that put Fenerbahce on the ropes, 41-64, midway through the third period. The hosts didn’t give up, though, and cut the deficit to 54-68 thanks to a spark by its bench players. Carsen Edwards came up big early in the fourth period and provided Fenerbahce with some much-needed energy and points to make it 58-69. That joy only lasted just a few minutes for the local fans, though, as Hezonja showed up from downtown and Tavares took control of the boards to extinguish Fenerbahce’s hopes.