Real Madrid now has a record of 3-3 in this year's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after beating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at Mediolanum Forum on Thursday night, with the Italians' record dropping to 3-3.
Real downs Milan to return to winning ways
First-year forward Dzanan Musa led the way for Real in its 77-83 victory, scoring 25 points and finishing with a PIR of 31. Mario Hezonja also chipped in with 15 points for Los Blancos. Kevin Pangos of Milan put up a team-high 21 points, but the hosts struggled in general to get their offense going after the break.
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Real initially got off to a quick start, racing out to a 5-12 lead on the back of 8 points from Musa inside the first 4:42, but Milan soon grew into the game as it became an end-to-end affair. In particular, the Italians began to enjoy more success from behind the arc, ending the first quarter down 20-23. One player who started to come to the fore for Milan was Naz Mitrou-Long, who made his EuroLeague debut in this game. After making two turnovers in quick succession, Mitrou-Long tallied 11 points between the first and second quarters, going 3-of-3 from three-point range. The last of these gave Milan a 29-26 advantage, yet then it became the turn of Hezonja to step up for Real. The Croatian forward scored 12 points in the second quarter to keep Los Blancos in the game, as Milan continued to hit three-pointer after three-pointer. Heading into the break, the hosts were ahead 50-47 after Pangos made Petr Cornelie touch the hardwood before hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer. The second half was a different affair, however, as Real tightened up on defense and Milan's red-hot shooting from deep cooled off. Also, Musa returned to the game after not playing in the second quarter, and he added another 9 points to his tally in the third. It continued to be the Musa Show in the fourth quarter, too, as he hit some crucial shots, most notably a three-point play from a timeout after Real had called a timeout to stop Milan's comeback attempt. Both Milan and Real suffered defeats in Round 5, but it is Los Blancos who got back on track in Round 6.