Real won and got some stars back
Real Madrid recorded a 92-73 home win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday in the team's last Turkish Airlines EuroLeague home game in 2022 and their fans saw some familiar faces on the court.
The biggest news for Real was that swingman and club legend Rudy Fernandez is finally recovered from his hand injury and made his first EuroLeague appearance of the season. As such, Rudy started his 13th EuroLeague campaign and his 12th with Los Blancos. He did not score in 17 minutes, though he contributed 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
"We didn't miss him because he was there, with us, present, but having him in the locker room is important for all of us, because he gives us a bigger degree of experience, knowing what to do in tough times," Real head coach Chus Mateo said. "When things go well, you don't miss anyone, but in tough times, an experienced voice at the right time can help the new players know what Real Madrid is all about, its ambition and willingness to win every game. So I am very happy that he is back."
Gabriel Deck also returned to action after missing three games. He had all of his 10 points in the final 6 minutes of the second quarter and posted a PIR of 11 in just 11 minutes.
"There is always room for improvement, the perfect game doesn't exist, and we are happy because Rudy [Fernandez] and Gaby [Deck] came back, some players are recovering," team captain Sergio Llull said after the game. "We played a good game and deserved the win."