The Real Madrid suffered more than expected in Santiago de Compostela, but achieved its second victory of the season in the Liga Endesa. Pedro Martínez's team defeated Monbus Obradoiro by 107-114 after an overtime, in a match where they managed to lead by 11 points before encountering the reaction of a Galician team that was very close to completing the comeback. The score was tied at 99-99 at the end of the 40 minutes, forcing an additional five minutes in which the white team ended up imposing its greater depth and the leadership of Maledon.
The result leaves Madrid with two victories in the first two rounds of the ACB, after the tight 89-87 in the first date against Unicaja. Obradoiro, which had started its return to the top category by winning 85-90 in Andorra, remains with a record of 1-1, although it again demonstrated the ability to compete against one of the major favorites of the competition.
Equality at the start and first blow from Madrid
The match began with a brave Obradoiro, capable of playing toe-to-toe against a Madrid that again showed defensive ups and downs. The Galicians managed to place 7-1 and 15-11, but the first quarter ended completely tied, 22-22. The difference appeared in the second period, when the visiting team finally found accuracy from the perimeter and chained several three-pointers in a few minutes. Maledon, Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Jantunen punished the local defense and allowed Madrid to go into halftime with 11 points of advantage, 43-54.
Madrid seemed to have found the way to definitively break the game, but Obradoiro reacted after the break. The entry of Álex Barcello, the interior work of Joel Soriano, and the contribution of Leo Meindl allowed Diego Epifanio's team to cut the deficit until tying the score at 61. The third quarter ended still with a white advantage, 69-75, but the game had already changed: Obradoiro had regained confidence and Madrid had lost the control it had shown before the break.
Obradoiro forces overtime
The last quarter confirmed that equality. Obradoiro scored 30 points in the period and completely erased the Madrid advantage, while Madrid added 24. Brandon Childress took on responsibilities in the decisive moments and ended up becoming one of the great threats for the visitors. The American point guard finished with 23 points and was key for the locals to bring the game to a tie.
The scoreboard reflected a 99-99 after the four quarters, with partial scores of 22-22, 21-32, 26-21, and 30-24. The Fontes do Sar thus reached an overtime in which Obradoiro still had real chances to achieve the surprise. In fact, Childress put the Galician team three points ahead, 102-99, at the start of the extra time.
Maledon takes charge in overtime
It was then that Théo Maledon appeared. The French point guard once again directed Madrid in the most delicate minutes, drew fouls, found teammates, and took important points from the free throw line. Jaume Pradilla broke one of the moments of offensive blockage with a three-pointer from the corner, and Maledon then chained six points to return the initiative to the whites. Madrid would not lose it again.
With 105-108, Obradoiro still had opportunities to get closer, but did not find the necessary outside accuracy. Madrid managed its advantage from the free throw line and ended the game with two shots from Andrés Feliz to establish the 107-114 definitive. In overtime, the whites won the partial by 8-15.
Maledon and Luwawu-Cabarrot, 50 points between the two
Maledon was the most decisive player of the match. The Frenchman finished with 25 points, three rebounds, and seven assists in 27:55 minutes, drew nine fouls, and signed an extraordinary 15 of 16 from the free throw line to reach 38 valuation credits. His impact was also reflected in the +/-: Madrid won by 14 points during his minutes on the court.
Alongside him stood out Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, also with 25 points. The Frenchman became the other great offensive reference of the white team, and together they totaled 50 of the 114 points of Madrid. Mikael Jantunen contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, while Pradilla finished with eight points and seven boards. Tavares added eight points in a game where the Madrid interior game ended up being important to contain the local push.
Childress leads an Obradoiro that does not give up
In the Obradoiro, Brandon Childress was the top scorer with 23 points, accompanied by Caleb Agada, who added 16. Joel Soriano and Álex Barcello finished with 13 points each, the same figure as Yunio Barrueta, while Felipe dos Anjos contributed nine. The Galician team distributed their offensive production well and managed to keep the game open even when Madrid reached its maximum lead of 11 points.
Obradoiro also finished with 41 rebounds, 16 of them offensive, compared to Madrid's 46. The Santiago team distributed 18 assists against the visitors' 24 and recovered 11 balls, one more than the white team. The equality was also reflected in the shooting percentages: 46.25% in field goals for the Galicians and 47.83% for Madrid.
The free throw marks one of the big differences
One of the decisive factors was at the free throw line. Madrid shot 48 free throws and converted 35, a 72.92%, while Obradoiro scored 22 of 31, a 70.97%. The difference of 17 attempted shots allowed Pedro Martínez's team to find points even when their static attack was not flowing smoothly. Maledon concentrated a good part of that volume with his 15 successes in 16 attempts.
From the three-point line, Real Madrid finished with 13 of 33, a 39.39%, compared to Obradoiro's 11 of 31, a 35.48%. Inside the paint, the locals scored 26 of 49 two-point shots and the whites 20 of 36. Madrid thus compensated for a lower volume of two-point baskets with more three-pointers, more free throws, and better ball circulation.
Obradoiro–Real Madrid Statistics
The game ended with 107-114 after an overtime and these were some of its main data: Obradoiro shot with a 46.25% success rate in field goals compared to Madrid's 47.83%; the whites dominated the rebound by 46-41 and the assists by 24-18, while the locals committed 15 turnovers to 18 by the visiting team. Obradoiro had a maximum lead of six points and Real Madrid of 11, with 13 lead changes throughout the match. Madrid was ahead for 28:54 minutes and Obradoiro for 10:11.
The triumph allows Real Madrid to maintain a full record of victories in Liga Endesa, although it again shows signs that the team is still adjusting mechanisms under the orders of Pedro Martínez. Obradoiro, for its part, confirms that its return to the ACB will not be testimonial: it forced Madrid to play 45 minutes and was one possession away from putting them against the ropes before Maledon decided the match.