EA7 Emporio Armani Milan used an extraordinary first half to defeat Real Madrid 81-76 at the Forum in Round 26.
Milan's first half was critical to beat Real Madrid
Stats
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Milan trailed 10-17 midway through the first quarter. Up to that point, Milan had made 2 of 4 two-pointers and 2 of 6 three-pointers without getting to the foul line, plus 3 assists and 2 turnovers. Real Madrid had been much more effective, making 3 of 4 two-pointers and 2 of 3 three-pointers with 5 assists and 0 turnovers.
Then Shavon Shields rescued the hosts, first with a step-back jumper and then with a three-point play. It was the start of a mammoth 26-2 run in which Nikola Mirotic took center stage. He came off the bench and immediately delivered, making 4 of 4 three-pointers and getting 14 of those points. By the time Maodo Lo struck from downtown, Milan led 36-19 and had been in one of the biggest runs in EuroLeague history.
By halftime, Milan had grabbed twice as many rebounds as its opponents, 26-13. The hosts pulled down 11 offensive rebounds and only allowed Real to get 5 of those. In the final 14 minutes of the first half, Real made just 1 of 9 two-pointers (11.1% 2FG) and 2 of 11 three-pointers (18.2% 3FG), getting just 4 assists against 7 turnovers. Milan buried 6 of 9 three-pointers (66.7% 3FG) in those minutes, leading to a 48-29 margin at the break.
"I said nothing [at the break] because the less I talk, the better it is," Coach Messina said at halftime. "We just need to continue to play with the same intensity on both ends: move the ball fast but more important, defend like we did in the first 20 minutes."
Milan ended up outrebounding Real 40-31, finishing the game with a lower PIR (84) than its opponent (85) despite leading 60-24 in that category at halftime. Mirotic made a critical turnaround jumper with 2:30 left and Shields put the victory on ice with free throws with 19.8 seconds remaining. The two players combined for 50 points against Real.
"The team played very, very well in the first half. In the second half, we limited the damage in the third quarter, because on the other side, we had the EuroLeague champions. Then in the fourth quarter I think we were tired and didn't take so many good decisions, but we had very good defense in the last 3-4 minutes," Coach Messina said after the game. "We always created very good situations defensively and on offense, we made free throws and a couple of big plays on the break. I am very happy for the players, they deserved a win like this."
Game Videos
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Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Hezonja dunks over the entire defense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:41
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Mario Hezonja: 'We started to take care of business'
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Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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ALBA Berlin-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Tavares says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:14
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Neno Dimitrijevic: 'We did an amazing job'
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Real Madrid | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Hezonja takes it all the way! Magic Moment
- 01:31
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Fabien Causeur: 'We found the right solutions'
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Real Madrid | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Real's ultimate team play! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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A monster jam by Josh Nebo! Motorola Magic Momen
- 00:10
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What a play by Leandro Bolmaro! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Hezonja beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Nebo's block leads to creative offense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Campazzo’s behind-the-back assist! Motorola Magic Moment
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Campazzo superlative pass for Ndiaye dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 01:16
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Facu Campazzo: 'Vinicius is awesome, he supports us'
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LeDay’s brutal slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Great alley-oop dunk from Tavares! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/80046ee3-5020-40e6-8eb7-3ea811c9344b.jpg?crop=846%3A476%3Anowe%3A137%3A3]()
Bolmaro does it all! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/i5ec2jdFtqE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Facu Campazzo: 'Everybody who played did something positive'
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Campazzo delivers, Hezonja detonates! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:23
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d596508b-d95a-4ac4-86d7-64da94998327.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A106%3A33]()
Ibaka the shot blocker! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:28
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/065caf80-4ada-4826-8dd8-a3a8a56dd883.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A65%3A85]()
Shields rocks the rim on a fastbreak! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/V5ub0IWEYUM/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Real Madrid | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/vHMDX0DdyDc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/09ced6d2-69e3-4c0c-b34d-983e94e3bc53.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A91%3A85]()
LeDay with a ferocious dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/66ee3f49-5843-4067-8814-8487fbcb58a8.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A123%3A21]()
Deck rises for a block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dc56c11f-f38f-4f6b-9c95-128bf36942e3.jpg?crop=1236%3A695%3Anowe%3A57%3A59]()
Tavares’ big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:00
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/11/2kCQWpv4AtQ4BSr2eHGDpk4Y8ZjxxgXD-1728682485050.jpg]()
Ettore Messina: 'Zach LeDay always gives us something'
- 03:46
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/11/HAMOF5uBjwCuKwvwnxH7uRSyo9bLbOmq-1728681341189.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Paris Basketball | RS Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0d85db8b-6332-4335-8ae9-4f9a14f2a367.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A33]()
Zach LeDay with a powerful slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:34
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/10/Y680JzYbicf37vIgf2iXWuycqONoxpIA-1728596818029.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a70c806a-1220-4f62-8ff7-e4e0e4b48a6c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A53%3A36]()
What an assist from Campazzo! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0b4ca03f-9185-4f38-8545-bce42c68893e.jpg?crop=1210%3A680%3Anowe%3A46%3A18]()
Ibaka with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5d1bc241-f6b0-4fa6-b63b-00b28d9ef07a.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Real Madrid | RS Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:56
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9b88dcef-134f-4928-9415-b6bdf8ac15fb.jpg]()
AS Monaco-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c129d78c-484c-4974-9b20-3f3b3ff007de.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A100%3A42]()
Rathan-Mayes from halfway! Motorola Magic Moment
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2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin MVP Top 10 Plays: Hugo Gonzalez, U18 Real Madrid
- 04:22
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Real-Panathinaikos | Championship Game Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Rudy's steal and magic pass! Motorola Magic Moment
