Los Blancos reached the century-point mark to take a 2-0 lead in the series
Real Madrid set club record in Game 2 win over Baskonia
Stats
3 Mins read
Real Madrid grabbed its second victory in as many playoff games by downing Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 101-90 in Game 2 of their best-of-five series. By doing so, Chus Mateo's squad scored over 100 points in a playoff game for the first time ever.
Real finished the game with 101 points, setting a new club playoff – and postseason – record. Rudy Fernandez made it happen with a three-pointer in the penultimate minute of the contest. Real's previous highest playoff score was the 98 points it scored in Game 5 against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade last season. What's more, Real's previous highest mark in the postseason was the 100 points it netted in a 2014 semifinal win over FC Barcelona.
As always, rebounding was the main key for Los Blancos as it allowed them to run the floor. Real outrebounded Baskonia 36-27, pulling down as many as 24 defensive boards and allowing Baskonia to get just 9 offensive rebounds. As such, Real grabbed 72.7% of all rebounds under its rim. Baskonia only grabbed 60% of all rebounds under its own basket, 18 out of 30.
Protecting the paint was also critical in Game 2. Real finished the first half with 6 blocks, tying the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time playoff record in a first half. Baskonia was limited to just 15-of-29 two-pointers (51.7% 2FG) while Real did much better, finding a lot of fast-break opportunities and scoring in transition. Los Blancos downed 25-of-39 shots inside the arc (64.1% 2FG). Real centers Vincent Poirier and Walter Tavares combined for 20 points on 10-of-14 two-pointers (71.4% 2FG), 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and a PIR of 39.
Finally, Real took much better care of the basketball, which also made the difference in this game. Real had as many as 24 assists, one shy off tying its playoff record, and limited its turnovers to just 10. On the other hand, Baskonia had fewer assists (19) and more turnovers (13). All that allowed Real to get within one victory to return to the Final Four for the third consecutive season.
