Real Madrid scored 38 points in the opening quarter and beat Crvena Zvezda 105–84 on Thursday in Round 11 of the EuroLeague. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot led Madrid with 22 points, while Gabriele Procida added 19. The result left both teams with seven wins and four losses.
Tyson Carter led Crvena Zvezda with 18 points and three assists. Jordan Nwora added 12 points and four rebounds, while Patrick Baldwin Jr. scored 11. The Belgrade club cut an early 18-point deficit to eight in the second quarter, but Madrid closed the half with seven unanswered points.
Madrid Answers Crvena Zvezda’s Second-Quarter Rally
Madrid led 38–20 after the first quarter. Crvena Zvezda worked its way back to 49–41 and had a chance to cut the deficit further, but Chima Moneke missed a three-pointer. Madrid then went on its 7–0 run to take a 56–41 lead into halftime.
The hosts extended that advantage in the third quarter, outscoring Crvena Zvezda 26–18 to lead 82–59. Ognjen Dobrić made two three-pointers early in the fourth, but Madrid answered with threes from Sergio Llull and Procida. Crvena Zvezda won the final quarter 25–23, with Madrid’s lead still above 20 at the buzzer.
Madrid had four players in double figures despite playing without Facundo Campazzo, Théo Maledon and Mikael Jantunen. Dennis Smith Jr. scored 13 points, and Andrés Feliz contributed 11 points and seven assists. Procida’s 19 points marked his best scoring performance for Madrid in EuroLeague play.
Navarro Points to Madrid’s Advantage Inside
Crvena Zvezda coach Ibon Navarro said his team lacked intensity from the opening minutes and struggled to match Madrid’s physical play. He pointed to how readily Madrid attacked the paint, while his own players relied more heavily on shots from outside.
Carter was the only Crvena Zvezda player to score more than 12 points. Dobrić finished with nine, and Chris Jones added eight. The visitors outscored Madrid in the second and fourth quarters, but those gains totaled five points. Madrid built a combined 26-point advantage in the first and third.
Crvena Zvezda is scheduled to return to Belgrade on Friday before facing Cedevita Olimpija in the ABA League on Sunday. It then heads into a EuroLeague double round against Milan and Barcelona. The loss in Madrid leaves Navarro’s team at 7–4 heading into that stretch, level with the Spanish club after 11 games.
