The Spanish giant celebrated its first EuroLeague win of the season in another thrilling contest with its Serbian rival
Real sinks Partizan, 93-86, as Ibaka excels on home court debut
Real Madrid ground out a 93-86 home win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after new signing Serge Ibaka came off the bench to lead his team with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
In a smooth team performance, Dzanan Musa and Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 12 points each for Real while Mario Hezonja and Eli Ndiaye chipped in with 10 each. Facu Campazzo racked up 8 points and 11 assists for the hosts, who won the battle of the boards 34-25 and hurt Partizan with a barrage of second-chance points.
Playmaker Carlik Jones paced the visitors with 15 points, Vanja Marinkovic and Sterling Brown netted 12 each while Tyrique Jones and Frank Ntilikina added 11 apiece.
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Following its shock defeat at FC Bayern Munich in the opening round, Real made a jittery start against Partizan as the Spanish team’s former prospect Mario Nakic fired the Serbian team into a 0-5 lead. The visitors were red hot from deep as they nailed 6 of 10 in the first quarter, but Real dominated the paint and was able to end the period on level terms with its opponent, 24-24.
The home team gained the upper hand in the second quarter and enjoyed a slender lead as Ibaka finished the first half on 11 points and 4 boards, while Campazzo dished out 8 assists to counter Partizan’s long-range artillery, with the visiting team making 8 of 15 shots from downtown in the first half. However, Real dominated the boards 20-10 through and was able to take a 50-47 advantage into the locker room at halftime, setting the tone for a physical third quarter.
With both teams missing shots in a fast-paced start to the second half, Real led 68-66 early in the fourth quarter before a 15-0 run, instigated by Campazzo dishing out assists like confetti, put the Spanish giant out of sight.
Carlik Jones replied with his own run at the other end, mixing some delicious layups with long-range shooting to haul Partiazn back into the contest, as the Serbian side slashed its deficit to 90-83. Campazzo then hit a clutch three-pointer to seal Real’s win in front of a jubilant home crowd.