After comfortably claiming Game 1 with a 90-74 victory, reigning champ Real will look to move within one more win of another Final Four appearance, while Baskonia needs a big reaction to level the series.
Game Notes: Madrid vs. Baskonia
The home team delivered a serious and focused performance on Tuesday thanks to a real collective effort, with only Dzanan Musa (16 points) scoring more than 10 points and 11 different players scoring at least 2 field goals.
Against that formidable depth, Baskonia will hope key scorer Markus Howard recovers full fitness after a knee injury restricted him to just 18 minutes of action in Game 1.
- Baskonia and Real Madrid had never met in the EuroLeague before the 2015-16 season.
- This is the first EuroLeague Playoffs series between them. In Game 1, Real cruised to a 90-74 win with Dzanan Musa scoring 16 points.
- In Round 33, Baskonia beat Real in Madrid 91-95 with Markus Howard netting a career-high 35 points, Tadas Sedekerskis pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds and Matthew Costello knocking down a career-high 5 three-pointers.
- In that game, Real Madrid point guard Facundo Campazzo tied his career high with 5 steals.
- In their EuroLeague game in Vitoria-Gasteiz in the season opener, Real Madrid held on for a 77-79 win.
- When it visited Buesa Arena in the 2019-20 season, Real Madrid blew past Baskonia 55-77. Real held Baskonia to some record lows in that clash. Baskonia's 55 points still stand as the fewest it has scored in a EuroLeague home game this century. Baskonia also had just 4 assists; tied for the fewest in any regular-season game the team has played in the competition.
- Baskonia's Daniel Diez grew up with Real Madrid, where he made his professional and EuroLeague debuts during the 2013-14 season. He was a teammate of current Real players Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Sergio Llull and Facundo Campazzo.
- Real Madrid guard Fabien Causeur played for Baskonia from 2012 to 2016. Causeur played under Baskonia head coach Dusko Ivanovic in the early part of the 2012-13 season. He was also a teammate of current Baskonia forward Tadas Sedekerskis in the last of those seasons.
- Real center Vincent Poirier played two seasons for Baskonia from 2017 to 2019. He was also a teammate of Baskonia forward Sedekerskis.
- Baskonia's Vanja Marinkovic and Real's Alberto Abalde were teammates at Valencia Basket during the 2019-20 season.
- Real's Dzanan Musa had a career-high 8 rebounds against Baskonia in March of last season.
- Real guard Sergio Llull tied his career-high in steals with 3 against Baskonia in February 2016.
- Real playmaker Sergio Rodriguez tied his career-high with 6 three-pointers made while playing for CSKA Moscow against Baskonia in December 2017.
- Real's Alberto Abalde grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Baskonia in November 2021.