The towering center is playing his best basketball of the season
Walter Tavares is hitting top gear at just the right time
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 31 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Right from the opening tip, Walter Tavares meant business for Real Madrid as the 11-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 96-89 on Tuesday night.
The Milan big men simply had no answer for the 33-year-old, who grabbed an offensive rebound and dunked for the opening score of the game, then pulled down another shortly after before converting a layup. It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Little Red Shoes.
That feeling was amplified in the latter stages of the first quarter as Tavares and Usman Garuba combined to wreak havoc in the Milan paint. After helping Real Madrid go 12-3 ahead to start the game, Tavares was instrumental in his team holding a 24-9 advantage just over seven minutes into the contest.
When Real Madrid added mid-season signing Bruno Fernando to a frontline that already contained Tavares, Garuba and Serge Ibaka, it might have felt like overkill. Instead, it looks like a masterstroke as Tavares is now able to get plenty of rest when needed, freeing him up to have a devastating effect in the minutes he’s out on the court.
At halftime against Milan, with Real Madrid leading 54-41, Tavares had 10 points, 3 rebounds, all of which were on the offensive end, 1 assist, 1 block and a 13 PIR in seven and a half minutes. By the end of the night, the eight-year EuroLeague veteran posted 19 points on 8-of-8 two-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws, 7 rebounds, with 5 being on the offensive glass, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks and a 27 PIR. It was the type of Tavares performance that Real Madrid and EuroLeague fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the years.
What was notable about Tuesday night’s display is that it came after a similarly dominate outing against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne last time out, as Tavares amassed 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and a 28 PIR in an 81-70 triumph. The Cape Verdean has now finished with a PIR of 20 or more in back-to-back games for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of the 2024 playoffs, showing that he is hitting his stride at the business end of the season once again.
Los Blancos are now in the midst of a three-game winning streak and have jumped up to eighth in the standings, but the goal will be to keep rising further and try to achieve a top-six finish. Two tough road games in Serbia against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade are sandwiched between a home contest with Paris Basketball, but with Tavares playing at this level, Real Madrid will fancy its chances against anyone at the moment.