Real Madrid put its hands on the game early with its physicality, with Usman Garuba using all the energy to contain Nikola Mirotic and force him to wander out on the perimeter while Tavares dominated the boards. The two bigs combined for 16 points in the first quarter. Real Madrid never looked back, never trailed. After a lethargic first period, down 31-16, Olimpia found its rhythm and was competitive. Not enough to pose a threat, though. At the end it was Real Madrid 96 Olimpia 89. That is the good news because somehow in the fourth quarter Olimpia, using mostly its second unit, stayed in the game mentally. Nikola Mirotic, with two seconds left, made the three that saved the point difference. Maybe, it is going to be important when all wll be said and done in this crazy EuroLeague regular season.
Olimpia didn’t make a single three in the first period but managed to stay close in the second quarter when Mannion, Shields and LeDay made three straight long-range jumpers. The end of the first half was a big blow because after missing the chance to reduce the gap to eight points, Sergio Llull punished Olimpia with a runner from ten meters that found the net and opened up a 13-point lead again for Real Madrid. However, in the third quarter Olimpia came back. Nikola Mirotic scored nine consecutive points and reduced the deficit to four points, 63-59. Olimpia looked good, riding momentum. But Campazzo made a huge corner three and turned it around once again. With a 66-61 score, Real Madrid placed a 9-0 run and extended its lead to 14 points.
The fourth quarter looked like garbage time. But the second unit did a great job. Armoni Brooks suddenly got on fire making three straight threes. So, Olimpia was able to get under the double digit margin and had the chance to at least protect the nine-point Milano’s win. In the end, Tavares off an offensive rebound seemed to clinch a 10-point margin. But with four seconds left and one time-out, Olimpia had one last opportunity that Nikola Mirotic used for the best with a top of the key three that closed the game. It was 96-89 Real Madrid but Olimpia managed to protect the point difference.
