Despite a good resistance, ASVEL conceded during the reception of Real Madrid a fifth defeat in a row in the Euroleague (71-75) and remains stuck at the bottom of the classification.
ASVEL did not go far from a great feat against Real Madrid. While they remained on four consecutive defeats in the Euroleague, the players of TJ Parker made the Madrid armada doubt until the end of the meeting. After the opener from Nando de Colo (13 points, 6 rebounds), ASVEL tried to stay in contact with the Merengue but the latter, under the impetus of their Frenchmen Fabien Causeur (14 points) and Petr Cornelie (5 points) gradually widened the gap over the first ten minutes.
It was with a margin of ten lengths that Real Madrid concluded the first quarter. The gap between the two teams then varied a lot throughout the ten minutes leading up to half-time. A three-point shot from Dzanan Musa (11 points) took Madrid to a twelve-point lead just over six minutes from the break. After being able to get closer to six lengths through Jonah Mathews (13 points) then David Lighty (8 points), Real Madrid took a little more ease on the scoreboard in the last two minutes. In the free throw game then with a last shot from Nigel Williams-Goss (13 points), the club from the Spanish capital returned to their locker room with a margin of fifteen units.
☹️ Our Villeurbannais fought to the end but bow tonight against the @RMBaloncesto.#LDLCASVEL #EuroLeague #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/gPqMhgl8zT
— LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) March 3, 2023
ASVEL came back too late
Back on the floor of the Astroballe, the situation has changed little, the gap oscillating between twelve and 17 points. But, pushed by their public, the Villeurbannais found solutions in defense to thwart the Madrid attack and get closer in the last three minutes of the third quarter. Youssoupha Fall (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Retin Obasohan (9 points) were responsible for bringing ASVEL to seven points before two last free throws from Dzanan Musa for Real Madrid. The start of the last ten minutes gave renewed hope to ASVEL supporters. In effect, an 8-1 led by Alex Tyus (8 points) and Charles Kahudi (3 points) allowed the Rhone club to come back to just two points with just under eight minutes left to play.
Sensing the danger for his training, Gabriel Deck (12 points) lined up three shots to breathe new life into Real Madrid. Dee Bost’s answer (7 points) at long distance, however, was not followed by effect. On a last shot from Youssoupha Fall, ASVEL loses four small points (71-75) and continues its negative series on the European scene with this fifth defeat in a row. Real Madrid, which lines up a fifth victory in a row, comes back up to Olympiacos at the top of the standings.
