Thursday’s win, led by Mario Hezonja, allows Los Blancos to start thinking about the next stage
‘Unselfish’ Real Madrid primed for more great things
The last time Real Madrid defeated Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade at Stark Arena before Thursday night was in Game 4 of the 2023 EuroLeague Playoffs. It would then win Game 5 at home and both games at the Final Four in Kaunas to capture the championship.
After beating Partizan 76-88 this time, Los Blancos have clinched the top spot in the regular season and can start thinking already about the playoffs and then the Final Four in Berlin. It will be weeks before Real knows its playoff opponent as not only will it need to wait for the end of the regular season, but also the end of the Play-In Showdown to see who will eventually become the No. 8 seed.
Partizan, in fact, is among the teams in the battle to reach the Play-In Showdown, though its chances took a hit with the home loss to the champs.
Regardless of the identity of their eventual opponent, Coach Chus Mateo shared some of what has been working so well for Real this season and why it’s more important to worry about the players in the white uniforms than the opponents.
Last season Real relied heavily on the “Old Guard” in key moments, with veterans Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodrguez at key moments late in the season, including in the championship game. While all are still on the roster, each of them missed the game in Belgrade due to injuries. Their absences opened the door for others to shine and Coach Mateo was thrilled with the result.
“All the team made a great job,” Mateo said in the post-game press conference. “All of them. Even Hugo Gonzales, who only played 2 minutes, did a great job. I am very happy because some of my players are playing more, sometimes less, but all of them are very unselfish. Always their effort is good for the team. The team is the most important thing. To stay together. This makes me proud of them.”
Gonzales, who turned 18 last month, had not played in a EuroLeague game since early January, but was ready when his number was called late in the first half and he played aggressive defense against James Nunnally.
On this night, no player contributed as much as Mario Hezonja, who finished with 25 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for a PIR of 33 and a game-best +/- of 20.
“We were consistent all the game and we could break the game with an amazing Mario. At one moment in the game, it was amazing how he scored,” Mateo praised.
Hezonja went for 16 points and 3 assists for a PIR of 23 in the second half alone. That came after Real had a rough go shooting the ball in the first half. The champs made just 7 of 23 two-pointers (30.4%) and 3 of 13 threes (23.1%) in the first 20 minutes. You might not guess who Hezonja credited for the turnaround.
“We prayed to God, God listened to us and we finally scored some tough shots,” he said after the game. Then, Hezonja gave a more basketball-related answer. “Most important, we went on a run because we were able to get some defensive stops, especially against this team because they are extremely talented. They are extremely good on offense. So that helped us and thanks to God we got the win at the end.”
While Hezonja was dominant and both Gabriel Deck (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Vincent Poirier (7 points, 8 rebounds) put up strong numbers, a few other Madrid stars had off nights, including Walter Tavares and Dzanan Musa. For Madridistas, getting the win on a night when the “Old Guard” was missing and a few stars were quiet should be good news.
Whether it was God, Hezonja, great ball movement (23 assists and just 4 turnovers!), patience or a combination of all, Mateo has reasons to be proud and Real has a well-rehearsed recipe for success as it enters the playoffs.