By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz tied the score at 69 thanks to Shavon Shields with four seconds left, and overtime in Madrid was more than possible. The ball was inbounded to Facundo Campazzo under Madrid’s basket, the clock was ticking, and Nik Stauskas practically gave the win to hosts.

Baskonia’s guard without any explanation fouled Campazzo and sent him in the free throws line. The Argentinian made the first, missed the second, and the desperation shot of Toko Shengelia couldn’t change the result. Real Madrid got the 70-69 win after Stauskas’ error.

This incident stole the thunder from Trey Thompkins who scored 20 points and made big plays down the stretch. In a close game from wire to wire, he was the only player who was consistently delivering in the offense.

Campazzo ended up being the hero of the game and he finished the night with a double-double, having 10 points and 11 assists.

The deception for Baskonia was more than blatant, considering the fact that an 11-4 run at the start of the fourth period gave the guests a 60-57 lead. However, Thompkins tied the score at 60, and the two opponents remained close until the end.

Shields had 14 points for the losing side, and Shengelia added 12. Baskonia dropped to the 15th position with an 8-15 record, while Madrid thanks to the win remains second in the standings with 17-6.

“It’s stupid to think too much ahead”

For coach Pablo Laso, however, the point of the night is that his team kept its composure until the end, despite an off night: “I think we stayed pretty solid. We did not have a good shooting night. Trey Thompkins did, but Rudy [Fernandez] and Sergio Llull missed open jumpers. But I think the effort we put the entire game and the concentration we had in the game allowed us to be in it. I think we worked very hard for 40 minutes to get a win. I am very happy for this win and I congratulate my players for this. I am focused on recovering the team as quick as possible, knowing it is a double-header, we have a game in Berlin in 48 hours. We got to be ready for another match and we have to go game by game. It is stupid to think too much ahead. The number of games we won is important, we still have to work hard to get in the playoffs and get home-court advantage, but the team is working hard, we grew as a team and that’s what really matters to me as a coach.”

Photo credit: EuroLeague