The Basque side trailed most of the way in its Round 3 showdown, but a great team effort paid off down the stretch
Baskonia's team effort against Real Madrid pleased Coach Laso
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All cameras focused on Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach Pablo Laso. He grew up with Baskonia and played there for over a decade. Laso became a coach and started Real Madrid's current golden age, winning EuroLeague titles with Los Blancos in 2015 and 2018, as well as 19 domestic titles from 2011 to 2022. Once the game started, however, both teams meant business.
Baskonia lost starting center Donta Hall midway through the first half. Hall came off a strong performance in the Spanish League in which he had a PIR of 45. With or without Hall on the floor, Tavares was almost unstoppable all night long, going for 14 points on 7-of-9 two-point shooting, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks for a PIR of 29. Without the suspended Facu Campazzo, Sergio Llull and Xavier Rathan-Mayes combined for 11 assists and just 4 turnovers.
What allowed Baskonia to get the victory? First of all, it was able to diversify its offense. Six players scored 8 points on more, as Markus Howard led the way with 15. Howard returned to the bench early in the third quarter and returned to action with over 7 minutes left. He scored 9 points in those minutes, including a critical jumper in which he attacked the rim, saw Tavares in the lane, went back and hit the shot for a 74-70 Baskonia lead with 15.3 seconds remaining.
Howard thanked his teammates and the crowd after the game, knowing everyone in building trusted his scoring abilities when it was time to win the game.
"I think it was taking a deep breath and relying on my teammates. I have a great locker room full of guys that trust and believe in m. We believe in each other: just the way we talk to each other and communicate, that's how we were able to get out of funks, just being able to rely on each other, and a lot of guys stepped up tonight," Howard said. "Baskonistas, they always show up and show out. We can't do anything that we do on the court without them and their support. I am very fortunate for the fans that we have."
Six different players scored in the fourth quarter: Nikos Rogkavopoulos had all of his 5 points early in the fourth quarter. Chima Moneke stepped up big again with 8 points in the final 8 minutes, including a critical three-pointer for a 69-67 Baskonia edge with under 3 minutes left. Baskonia never trailed after that and Moneke rounded out his performance with the game-clinching free throws. He joked about his effectiveness after the game, too.
"I believe in myself, I believe in the team. Good things happen when I am in the game," Moneke said. "That's how we need to be, that's the only way we can win this season [playing as a team]. Obviously, people focus on Markus and myself but we need to be a deep team with people contributing in every aspect of the game and today, we did that," he added.
Laso highlighted his team's focus and intensity, as well as the fact that Baskonia is undefeated in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at Buesa Arena so far this season, surviving tough tests against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Real.
"We stayed in the game, we stayed focused. We were playing against a great team, we had our bad moments, we had out good moments but we were hanging in there, and that is what makes me proud, that we found the way to get back in the game," Coach Laso said. "I am very happy for my players because they did a great job every day to win this game. I am very happy for the people, it was a great crowd, a great game. We were playing an unbelievable team and got an important victory.
"It has to be [a fortress] for us. Playing at home, with this crowd, it has to be. We need this energy. I think I have players that when they give you the energy, the fans see it, and this is very important," Laso added. "From the beginning, we want to be a tough team to win and that is what we showed against Partizan, Zvezda and Madrid today. This is the way it has to be. I don't know how far we will go but we will be there."