Real Madrid gets frozen again in Moscow to fall to Khimki

The cold winter of Moscow was more than ever the nightmare of Real Madrid that returns from there with two defeats in two games. After losing to the CSKA, this time it was their neighbors of Khimki (102-94) the executioners who took advantage of the fragile merengue defense (rare in the framework of Pablo Laso) and left in a 15-5 the partial of the whites in Euroleague, while they touch playoff positions with a 9-11. If Tuesday came the worst match of the campaign in attack, on Thursday it was the defense that became void.

Good memory is not brought to Madrid in Moscow, where, as happened to Napoleon, his troops froze when they got older. First against the champion, an impregnable CSKA on his court in the Laso era, who endured and left the Madrid box in his worst score of the season, and then it was the Khimki who finished off with an offensive recital. Shved, of those commanders who are leading the resistance in the cold steppe alone (21 points and 13 assists), this time was well accompanied by the Jerebko, Timma, Booker and company that were a blow of reality merengue.

And that from the beginning the start of Madrid tried to overcome the first blow of Moscow. However, the difficulties in attack became evident when only an inspired Trey Thompkins was able to find the spaces in the first moments. Given this, Jerebko, Booker and Shved put the Russians ahead, before Laso had to ask for the first timeout of the match (15-9). The ease did not reach the visiting team, although the first points of Campazzo and Tavares more triple triples of Thompkins and Taylor ended up leaving the difference at -4 (24-21).

Distance that would keep the Khimki in the next moments of the second quarter, even increasing his income to eight points to delirium of his pavilion. Causeur, in those moments where only he is able to get his people out of a traffic jam, brought nine points to reduce distances, but Shved's weak defense and success (12 points and 8 assists) sounded like a blow each time Madrid was trying to get ahead again. The desperation of the Alavés coach who already looked ten down and turned to Mejri at the last minute. The change did not have the expected effect and 55-44 went to rest, as a clear reflection of the offensive massacre of Kurtinaitis.

With the resumption wanted to enter Madrid in the offensive game of Khimki, Campazzo, Tavares and Thompkins through, but did not accompany him with the closure of the defense that remained a punishment in the hands of Shved or Booker. Mickey punished his former team with eight points, which was added to Carroll with house play moves, but Gill, Timma and Evans made the increase of the white defense ineffective from the perimeter to leave 80-69 in the absence of the last ten minutes.

With no room for a white reaction, Karasev put the twelfth triple Muscovite as soon as he started the room and Gill and Jovic increased the difference to 21 points. Enough income for those of Laso who already tried desperately from the canvas. Mickey, Laprovittola and Causeur made up the beating, but the war was already lost and the final 102-94 just staged it.

The highest score received by Madrid this season, which leaves Moscow with a severe corrective. After the record of victories in a row, two defeats in the Russian capital return the merengue team to reality and endorse a coup like that suffered by Napoleon in 1812. Khimki was a Borodino-style massacre, but at least the Euroleague continues and this is Once only be a cure of humility for a team that seeks to re-dominate the old continent.

DATA SHEET

–OUTCOME: Khimki 102-94 Real Madrid.

–KHIMKI: Alexey Shved (23), Devin Booker (15), Janis Timma (13), Vyacheslav Zaytsev (4) and Jonas Jerebko (11); Chris Kramer (0), Sergey Karasev (10), Sergey Monia (-), Anthony Gill (13), Stefan Jovic (6), Jeremy Evans (9) and Dairis Bertans (-).

–REAL MADRID: Facundo Campazzo (10), Gabriel Deck (4), Walter Tavares (4), Trey Thompkins (10) and Jeffery Taylor (8); Fabien Causeur (17), Nicolas Laprovittola (6), Felipe Reyes (7), Jaycee Carroll (5), Sergio Llull (3), Jordan Mickey (20) and Salah Mejri (0).

–PARTIALS: 25-21, 30-23, 25-25, 22-25.

–REFEREES: Robert Lottermoser, Tomislav Hordov and Saso Petek.

–PAVILION: Khimki Basketball Center.