The game between Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz had a little bit of everthing, and then some
Mario Hezonja decided an instant classic
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 23 of 34
Group Regular Season
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It was one of the games of the season. Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz offered Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans a wild back-and-forth battle that literally came down to the final seconds. The game saw 17 lead changes and Mario Hezonja had the final word, making one of those shots that will be forever remembered by Real fans.
The game had been very close for almost 35 minutes. Real used a 7-0 run that Facu Campazzo capped with a layup to get a 71-67 lead. Baskonia bounced back in style, as Donta Hall took over with a huge alley-oop slam and Luka Samanic did what only the chosen ones do in this competition: posterize Walter Tavares. Trent Forrest soon gave the visitors a 74-75 edge but it didn't last long. Hezonja, Campazzo and Dzanan Musa combined for all the points a 10-0 run that put Real on the right track to win the game, 84-75.
Baskonia had other ideas, as Forrest and Nikos Rogkavopoulos ignited a 0-13 run highlighted by Chima Moneke's four-point play. When Samanic made free throws with 1:09 left, Baskonia led 84-88 and Real needed answers on offense. Hezonja buried a big three-pointer and Real fouled Kamar Baldwin with 18.7 seconds remaining. Baldwin, an 87.0% free throw shooter before this game, missed both attempts. Samanic grabbed the rebounds and split his attempts for a 87-89 score with 17.1 seconds left.
Real had the stroke of luck it needed with those 3 missed free throws and had a chance to win the game after a timeout. Campazzo almost turned the ball over but Tavares grabbed the loose ball and found Hezonja. He had time to dribble once, see Moneke fly past him and take an open shot. Nothing but net. Hezonja had won the game with 0.2 seconds left. His celebration, raising both hands to the crowd, pointing to the court and bumping Real's logo on his jersey, is already one of the most iconic moments of the season.
After the game, Hezonja said that he felt his game-winner allowed him to bounce back from what he thought it was a slow game despite his good numbers: 22 points, 5 rebounds and a chase-down block.
"The ball was bouncing over my head. I never had a good position for a single rebound, they had some multiple possessions," Hezonja said. "That's how it felt for the entire game. So terrible game for me, terrible game for the team. Okay, we won, this is always nice, to give the show for our fans. This is what they pay to come to see, but if we want to get as far as we want to this year, we really have to clean these errors now because everything started to be so, so important and we need to go up in in the standings."
So far, Hezonja saved this one at the buzzer and Real is now one win away from third-place AS Monaco, its Round 24 opponent next week.
Game Videos
- 01:11
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/23/y4fEjVhtVpKeOYdkbQGHKMUQS42ZEVEj-1737671451445.jpg]()
Facu Campazzo: 'We got lucky a little bit'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/29c1c972-dd9e-422e-9635-546573a46fb3.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 23 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/23/UjHPmVprPxIK0MTVyNywidUbb120SoO0-1737670554587.jpg]()
HEZONJA WINS IT! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:24
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e15d17f5-abbc-4f4b-8d39-6eb9b31ee952.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A88%3A116]()
Samanic posterizes Tavares! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/134dd91f-2e85-4493-84c1-81d2f8670290.jpg?crop=1240%3A698%3Anowe%3A55%3A56]()
Hall's alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7ad186c7-3c8f-4095-b529-d86f68aafceb.jpg?crop=1300%3A731%3Anowe%3A0%3A62]()
Hezonja stops Diop! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7ccbab42-2966-4749-952b-f5915f877c9b.jpg?crop=4000%3A2250%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
The Fantasy Challenge Podcast welcomes Arale Weisberg to discuss unlimited trades
- 01:02
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/18/PMk8wy1Hp5ye8TOkEDer6JxuEuAtKcKs-1737162915594.jpg]()
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot: 'We have great talent in this team and great potential'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/f2lSCiFqFIY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 22 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/17/wFxAn51A3tPXpoakbCpFjVPU6qgaOnGq-1737152709414.jpg]()
Luwawu-Cabarrot dishes it behind the back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e724fa10-c47a-4c7a-ace4-4f2f2e70066e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A47%3A51]()
Donta Hall slams it! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d04c973d-88d5-4617-bba4-01463dbfe9f8.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 22 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:00
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/14/LrwhxqwIDSHLHyz6e2DT9dSdXYwRQahx-1736892490241.jpg]()
Facu Campazzo: 'For the fans, it was a great game'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/RH7whSocPV8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/lS-5zq9D4OM/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8ddffe33-c895-42d2-b0b6-7cc91cf58dd2.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A115%3A46]()
Hall rejects Fournier! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/59848142-e138-4fea-9c4f-f1ec2052ae8f.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A74%3A71]()
Luwawu-Cabarrot stops McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/636d7b2a-d528-4fef-98c6-1275aa304158.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 20 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:10
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/10/nNWiE7P5HTOrNMPAo2nlLSVQSBEEalsM-1736541549656.jpg]()
Mario Hezonja: 'This was the most important game of the year for us'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/W6VLMl5LSsc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Real Madrid | RS Round 20 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cb9b50e8-90b0-420e-9f85-e0b31f8a25d2.jpg?crop=1215%3A684%3Anowe%3A0%3A108]()
Hezonja somehow scores! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2641e0d3-b60f-4db6-91f4-1447e9165d36.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A270%3A22]()
Campazzo's acrobatic layup! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:25
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/03/e4gtHgz9zWlNsO6SQpkbbIIlbOEImEWN-1735942614668.jpg]()
Facundo Campazzo: 'We are a pretty good team as well'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/13267b9f-f420-414c-9aa5-57836e199784.jpg]()
Real Madrid-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 19 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/p9dJG5CrrMw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 19 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e65d970b-4632-4929-90b5-895db19c8029.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A120%3A89]()
Big one-hander from Donta Hall! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:28
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/27/G3qN9yoUiKT1nqLjIbpIcgrEUfytZh4m-1735337631597.jpg]()
Big CONNECTION Forrest-Hall! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/27/HzVCuQxg0xaFJ6wCIpCfhKPA39Zb98Ub-1735341381848.jpg]()
Chima Moneke: 'This is my favorite game I've ever been a part of'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/zbkgaAqrFLY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Paris Basketball | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e6d5a464-f875-455d-a5e9-6a0a24e16232.jpg?crop=1350%3A759%3Anowe%3A0%3A123]()
Hall throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:19
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7613b552-b114-4f62-a400-bac7a16689b0.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A129%3A12]()
Moneke stops Shorts! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:35
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/26/SY8BotieIAOskbRB5UCQu8nO8jV6wRjA-1735246307119.jpg]()
Mario Hezonja: 'I am lucky to be in a locker room with Sergio Llull'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e11cc9db-d568-435e-880d-af52c26a71c2.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Real Madrid | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/76a6eb9e-7fd8-48af-8413-df0683d7673f.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A80%3A41]()
Hezonja races for dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/TlcZyHCo1jg/maxresdefault.jpg]()
EuroLeague & Friends, ep. 9: Bayern's home form, Nunn and Vezenkov on fire
- 01:09
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/19/CI6ZDdHArHIVDGC6TCEuU9gnJu2V8rwY-1734646621376.jpg]()
Dzanan Musa: 'We are one of the top three teams in the EuroLeague'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b871ca12-2711-45b0-b272-090fb02dc562.jpg]()
Real Madrid-AS Monaco | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:30
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/19/vrMxAyS71XMhxCEqjfU0exuhtDi8i609-1734646108037.jpg]()
Campazzo's magic pass! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/qf9io_7AvuE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f3c82bde-5993-418e-b6f3-8251411fead6.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A152]()
Campazzo's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/90fdd336-9254-4d84-a88e-af34fbdeb9b5.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A103%3A53]()
Garuba stops James! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ee192902-44ed-49f6-8b42-fa51ab79f895.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A115%3A70]()
Nice alley-oop from Diop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:15
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/17/gzfqq32G19ojtbFBDqA2Cf4AJgz7tKCr-1734477303484.jpg]()
Walter Tavares: 'For me, Paris is the best team in the league right now'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/31d2f38e-82c2-406d-9ee8-b84c3f9bb801.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Real Madrid | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:38
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/17/9Z6ymh3lK3wjnREsMeHTbdZoDqSU1dBG-1734470302799.jpg]()
Chima Moneke: 'This is our best win of the season'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/K3myS2EETAk/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4591db20-39e6-4fc2-9e70-2957477f030e.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A94%3A33]()
Tavares rejects Hayes! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/25b1692c-1ee1-4898-b9a8-4f7678238fb8.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A132%3A41]()
Donta Hall makes creative bucket! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9784b387-7c1e-4d89-b6a0-645268f0b32d.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cb51b927-3088-4142-8b2c-91cf3d68fe39.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
