This season's precedents: Real Madrid vs. Partizan

Two of European basketball's juggernauts will go to battle in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, as No. 3 seed Real Madrid takes on No. 6 seed Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. This series gets underway at WiZink Center on Tuesday night at 20:45 CEST, as Real gets to host the first two games courtesy of being the higher seed. Los Blancos have made the playoffs the last 10 years straight – ignoring the pandemic-affected season in 2019-20 – whereas Partizan is back in the postseason for the first time since 2010, having only returned to the EuroLeague this season following a nine-year absence. Let's take a look at how Real and Partizan fared against one another this season.

Real Madrid and Partizan will face in a playoff series. Both teams have played each other 18 times in the EuroLeague since 2000, with Real having won 15 of those clashes.
Mathias Lessort is having a break-out season with Partizan in the EuroLeague, leading the league with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Sergio Llull is in his 16th straight season with Real in the EuroLeague. He scored a total 3,667 points with the white jersey.
Big man Zach LeDay is already in the best scoring season of his four-campaign career in the EuroLeague.
Walter Tavares is one of the most dominant players in the league. He has already broken a record with 77 blocks so far this season.
Kevin Punter is one of the main engines of this Partizan team. He averages 15.5 points and 2.4 assists.
Adam Hanga will be looking to make another Final Four and try to lift his first title after nine EuroLeague seasons.
Young Alen Smailagic made his EuroLeague debut this season and will be looking to win its first playoff series also.
Dzanan Musa has been one of the offensive leaders for Los Blancos this season thanks to his 15.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Lessort has been a dominant force in paints all across the continent this season.
Alberto Abalde has become a valuable piece in the Real Madrid machine after five seasons in the EuroLeague.
Aleksa Avramovic is another of the Partizan players making his EuroLeague debut this season.

Coming into this year, Real had a 14-2 all-time record against Partizan, and that was extended to 15-2 when it downed the Serbian side 105-97 in a highly entertaining game in Madrid in Round 10. It was an incredibly fast start for both teams, with Partizan leading 32-40 after the opening 10 minutes, but Real managed to end the final three quarters ahead – 54-51, 86-74 and 105-97 – despite a late rally from the visitors in the final minutes of the game. Sergio Llull, who should make his return from injury in this series, led five Real scorers in double figures with 20 points. Walter Tavares had 17, Mario Hezonja and Gabriel Deck scored 15 apiece, and Dzanan Musa chipped in with 14. For Partizan, Zach LeDay tied Llull's mark of 20 points, with Dante Exum scoring 17, Kevin Punter contributing 16, James Nunnally recording 15 and Danilo Andjusic ending the night with 13.

When the two sides met in Round 32 at Stark Arena, another high-scoring game ensued, but this time Partizan won 104-90 to improve its overall record against Real to 15-3. This time, it was a slower start for both teams, with the score 21-23 in Los Blancos' favor after 10 minutes, but Partizan responded with a 28-15 second quarter to go into halftime up 49-38. The highest-scoring quarter of the game came in the third, with Real outgunning the hosts 29-34, but Partizan still led, 78-72, when it finished. Then, head coach Zeljko Obradovic's side closed the game out in the fourth, bettering Real's 18 points by scoring 26 to send the home crowd into raptures and come away with a 104-90 victory. Six Partizan scorers reached double figures that night, with Punter and Mathias Lessort pacing the side with 16 apiece. Exum had 15 and Nunnally 14, while Alen Smailagic finished with 11 and Ioannis Papapetrou recorded 10. Dzanan Musa scored a game-high 22 points for Real. Hezonja and Deck once again had the same number of points – this time, 17 – and Adam Hanga had 10. Walter Tavares fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, when Partizan was up 89-76, after contributing 7 points.