From 4 to 20,200, here's some of the key numbers from Thursday's clash between Real Madrid and Partizan.
The numbers from Real Madrid’s victory over Partizan
Real Madrid did many things right to beat Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in front of a passionate crowd at Stark Arena on Thursday night. The win locked up first place for Los Blancos in the regular season with three rounds remaining. Here’s a look at the key numbers from the team’s 74-88 victory.
4. This is how many turnovers committed. And 23 is how many assists Real dished. No player had multiple turnovers, while Facu Campazzo dished a team-high 8 assists.
“This is very important for us, to share the ball without turning over the ball,” Real head coach Chus Mateo said after the game. “This is the way we create good shots. If we share the ball and we are not turnovering and we kick the ball inside and from inside to outside and we share the ball in order to look for the much better shot, we are going to get good percentages.”
8. That is how many three-pointers Kevin Punter took. He only made 1. Punter is ranked eighth in the league in scoring with 14.9 points and Mateo used the analogy of a blanket when discussing the defense his team used. Just as sometimes a blanket is not big enough to cover your whole body from your head to your toes, the same was true of Real’s defense. So they opted to always have defenders ready to contest Punter’s shots, while sagging off the hosts’ big men, Bruno Caboclo and Frank Kaminsky, when they floated outside. The gamble paid off. While Caboclo and Kaminsky combined to shoot 4 for 10 from deep, Punter missed more threes than in any game this season.
16. That is how many points Real scored in a row to end the third quarter, turning a 54-42 deficit into a 14-point lead. Campazzo led the charge with 5 points and 3 assists and Fabien Causeur also scored twice in that stretch. After the run, Partizan never threatened again.
35. Total points scored by Real in the third quarter.
40. Real grabbed that many rebounds, which were 5 more than Partizan. Even though it was only a slight difference, Real maximized that to outscore Partizan 2-11 on fastbreaks and 9-17 second-chance points. Controlling the glass allowed Real to control the rhythm and thus the game.
20,200. The reported attendance from the game. And the Partizan support left its mark on the visitors.
“The fans of Partizan are always very important for Partizan,” Mateo assessed. “At home, Partizan only had three defeats until today. This was the fourth. And they play very good at home. Their fans are amazing how they push their players, how they encourage the team is amazing. This environment, this atmosphere is great. Your country feels basketball and breaths basketball.”
25. The most important number of all was this one and not because that’s how many points Mario Hezonja scored. This was Real’s 25th win of the season and guaranteed it the top spot in the standings at the end of the season. To date, no No. 1 overall seed has failed to qualify for the Final Four since the full-season round-robin format was installed. And more than ever before, Real can start to think about the Final Four in Berlin.