Real Madrid carried momentum from El Clásico into Panathinaikos game
Winning in El Clásico against FC Barcelona means everything for Real Madrid and its supporters, but given how tight things are at the top of the standings in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, it was important that Los Blancos didn’t follow that up with a defeat to Panathinaikos Athens.
On Tuesday night, Barca beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 83-78 at Palau Blaugrana to improve to 14-8, meaning that a loss for Real against Panathinaikos would see it have the same record. However, Chus Mateo's team used the positive momentum it had from its 91-86 overtime win in El Clásico to open a 15-2 lead over Panathinaikos at the midway point of the first quarter. When the final buzzer sounded, Real had won 83-68 to once again join Olympiacos Piraeus at the top of the standings.
One of the key players in Real's electric start was forward Guerschon Yabusele, as he scored 8 of Los Blancos' 15 points during its 15-2 start, while he had also grabbed 3 rebounds in that time. Yabusele had to sit the final few minutes of the quarter on the bench after picking up his second foul, but points from Dzanan Musa, Mario Hezonja, Gabriel Deck and Sergio Rodriguez ensured that Real closed the first 10 minutes 12 points ahead, 26-14.
Rather than rest on its laurels, the feel-good factor around Real continued in the second quarter of play. After restoring its 12-point advantage halfway through the second quarter, with Panathinaikos having cut the deficit to 9, Rudy Fernandez scored 5 points in a hurry to make it a 17-point game, 42-25. Then, as the first half drew towards a close, Musa made both of his free throws to set a game-high lead of 21 points, 48-27.
Panathinaikos tried its best to mount a famous comeback in the second half, yet Real extended its advantage to 21 points again, 60-39, midway through the third quarter. The Greens continued to fight in the remainder of the game, but it was unable put sufficient pressure on Los Blancos, who saw out the final period with relative ease en route to an 83-68 triumph.
Speaking afterward, Yabusele recognized that Wednesday night's contest had the potential to be a banana skin game, but he was happy that Real rose to the task: "I had a good start. My teammates got me going and the energy [we showed] just won it. It was a great game. We were focused from the first minute. We knew that it was a tough game and we needed to set the tone from the beginning. We did it tonight, and the most important thing is the win."
On Friday night, Real has another test, this time against AS Monaco, who is tied with Barca for the second-best record in the league (14-8). Monaco grabbed a memorable 94-95 overtime win over Real at WiZink Center back in Round 12, and another victory for the French team would see it match Los Blancos' record. However, if Real is able to once again continue its positive momentum into the start of Friday's game at Salle Gaston Medecin, it may end up finishing yet another round at the top of the standings.
Game Videos
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Nunn with a deep three! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Yurtseven with a sublime dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
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Juancho rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Yurtseven on the alley oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
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Hezonja monster block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:25
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Fernando rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:24
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Fernando dunks in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:22
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Kendrick Nunn: 'I'm just glad it's not my tooth!'
- 02:06
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Konstantinos Mitoglou: 'We expect a tougher game in the next game'
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:25
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Crucial block by Juancho! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Cedi Osman steals and dunks! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
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Dzanan Musa: 'We have the formula of how we want to play'
- 00:52
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Walter Tavares: 'The playoffs are about defense, not offense'
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
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Ibaka rejects McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
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Deck ends first quarter in style! Motorola Magic Moment
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Kostas Sloukas with a crazy buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Jerian Grant shows big hustle! Motorola Magic Moment
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:57
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Juancho Hernangomez: 'We have a lot of talent, everybody can step up'
- 00:44
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Jerian Grant: 'That's what championship teams do'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Yurtseven at it again! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:11
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Grant seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Juancho flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Yurtseven on the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:36
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Mario Hezonja: 'We can do great things'
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Real Madrid-FC Bayern Munich | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Campazzo’s creative magic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Real teamwork from Madrid! Motorola Magic Moment
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Walter Tavares, March-April MVP: ‘It’s hard these days to be a big man’
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Real Madrid-Paris Basketball | Play-In Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Tavares dunks in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kendrick NUNN Got MIC’D UP and SCORED BIG | AS Monaco - Panathinaikos
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The 7th Star - Trailer
- 00:52
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Kendrick Nunn: 'The one I'm most proud of is the 10 assists'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/d2db2da2-5747-4a2c-85d5-6c3fce493ffc.jpg]()
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:52
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Walter Tavares: 'This is a gift from God'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/1dbd7a2b-309d-4eb2-aeb4-f385a10ecef6.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Real Madrid | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:46
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Tavares wins it with his soft touch! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:09
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Hezonja rocks the rim with aplomb! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
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A huge dunk by Tavares! Motorola Magic Moment
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EuroLeague 25 Moments: When Panathinaikos took Virtus’s crown in 2002
- 01:32
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Mario Hezonja: 'Every time there is a challenge, we respond'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/96115336-839e-4057-bd83-5b13036c68a7.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Paris Basketball | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
