The EuroLeague leader and defending champion ground out a labored victory after going through the motions for much of the contest.
Yabusele made sure Real triumphed against his former team
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 25 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Real Madrid beat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 86-79 to notch a 13th successive home win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and improve to 22-3 in the current season, staying firmly in the driving seat of the continent’s premier club competition.
ASVEL remained bottom as it slipped to 5-20 and was undone by its former player Guerschon Yabusele, who posted a career-high 26 points as he made 7-of-9 shots from the floor and 11-of-11 from the foul line to cap a blistering individual performance.
Yabusele made light of the absence of several key players, notably towering center Walter Tavares who is nursing a sore ankle, with influential guard Sergio Llull also sitting this one out.
Having been asked whether he was particularly inspired against his former club, Yabusele made it clear with a big smile on his face there was only ever going to be one outcome.
“We always try to bring the best on the court and it was a good night for us,” he said. "I felt good tonight, I have a lot of love for ASVEL but I was never going to let them win here.”
Following an enthralling 106-101 win over Maccabu Playtika Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Real looked devoid of pace and energy but head coach Chus Mateo made the point that it’s a marathon and not a sprint to the finish line in both major competitions for Real.
“I am very happy because it’s not easy to keep the same level all the time,” he said. “We’ve played 25 games in the EuroLeague already and we’ve also got a very tough Spanish League. Another good win in front of our fans against a very physical team. One step at a time from here on, as our first priority is to finish in the EuroLeague’s top four at the end of the regular season.”
ASVEL head coach Pierric Poupet praised his team for a spirited effort against the royalty of European club basketball, after his team had stayed on an even keel with Real for much of the first two quarters.
“The second half was pretty much what I expected, we fought hard and we have to keep believing that we can build on some of the good stuff that we saw tonight,” he said. “I am proud of my team, we left it all out there and we can take a lot of positives from this game.”
Game Videos
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Dzanan Musa: 'We are one of the top three teams in the EuroLeague'
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Campazzo's magic pass! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
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Campazzo's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Garuba stops James! Motorola Magic Moment
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EuroLeague & Friends, ep. 8: Maledon's performances, LeDay insight, and more
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Walter Tavares: 'For me, Paris is the best team in the league right now'
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Paris Basketball-Real Madrid | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Pierric Poupet: 'Whatever you tell yourself, you must have fun'
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Ajinca's buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
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Tavares rejects Hayes! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:50
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Theo Maledon: 'We're not going to back down from no one'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/qjOMJXwMKt4/maxresdefault.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Vileurbanne-Paris Basketball | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:31
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Harrison attacks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b58da4de-a1bf-401c-ba9c-dcd79e92ff26.jpg?crop=940%3A529%3Anowe%3A205%3A41]()
Maledon’s smooth finish! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cb51b927-3088-4142-8b2c-91cf3d68fe39.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Tavares's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/VmMh4X0ihEo/maxresdefault.jpg]()
EuroLeague & Friends: Spanoulis's start, the play of Maledon and Shorts...
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:08
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Roberson skies for the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:27
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Paris Lee: 'We were unbelievable, we kept fighting'
- 00:34
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Lee beats the final buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/E8gQK5Aon-s/maxresdefault.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Real Madrid | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:32
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Lee beats the final buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:32
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Great work by Ndiaye and Lee! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Gabriel Deck with a fine dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
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Black's thunderdunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:31
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ASVEL's lightning fast break! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cbb07da4-47ee-4be4-afa1-0475e093ac96.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Real Madrid | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
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Tavares blocks with authority! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/acf76a16-eb28-4607-b086-00fe38095831.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A100%3A62]()
Hezonja with the up and under! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/14e84602-4514-48db-9271-e9531900558a.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A144%3A76]()
Campazzo magic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:07
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/21/4x4ZMJD3kGTTfrJkScIZoCiByqzaZA1y-1732230979539.jpg]()
Facu Campazzo: 'When we play good defense, on offense we are really good'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/61_c3OfBC74/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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AS Monaco-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bd5b44e4-78df-414b-b3ff-22241c321b58.jpg?crop=847%3A477%3Anowe%3A68%3A146]()
ASVEL solves a broken play! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bc94c3dc-8af4-4094-8dee-b742de37ca36.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A71%3A9]()
ASVEL shows the power of team basketball! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:18
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/EERN1yHRk3qtS5SuQWRwxTmlSLM456NF-1731627453210.jpg]()
Joffrey Lauvergne: 'A big fight until the end'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/v2UN5hWpeio/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/m_7NiJHAF_M/maxresdefault.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne–Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 10 highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
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Hezonja dunks over the entire defense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/YGqamKGqOJ1CZyARgCi40atgCbx6ADwD-1731450518806.jpg]()
Mario Hezonja: 'We started to take care of business'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/sSNxEq5naNc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Olympiacos Piraeus-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b6019cfa-5fb5-4733-8e69-909122e68393.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A109%3A32]()
Tavares says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d5c11ba4-c53a-49a7-a554-ecf891f3fb86.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A138%3A68]()
Harrison dunks off a steal! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/WUp1NWm2hxU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
