Unfortunately, the most exciting match in its history ended Euroleague! In a battle of the titans that lasted three whole hours in Madrid, Real and Effectsbroke every scoring record, with the match decided at 4th overtime and the “queen” to prevail with the mythical 130-126 for the 19th matchday!
An unlikely match from Moussa who scored 40 points and took 45 in the rating systemwith Larkin scoring 32 points for Chan’s team in 53:11 of action!
Historic match in Madrid, as the 256 points achieved, they left in second place the terrible match of Panathinaikos against Fortitudo in Bologna in the 2003/04 season, which had… stopped at 118-114 in favor of the “greens”.
???????????? ???????????? in the @RMBaloncesto ?? @AnadoluEfesSK games:
– First game with four overtimes?
– First game with three overtimes?
– Highest team scoring in a game (@RMBaloncesto with 130 points);
– Largest combined score ever made by two teams in a single…— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) January 5, 2024
In this way, Real Madrid overcame, after a thousand efforts and sufferings, the defeat by Barcelona and remained at the top with a record 17-2the moment Ephesus fell to 7-12.
The match
Hard start on first quarter with Real Madrid consistently leading the scoring, with the difference varying between three and five points with Madrid’s mini-burst towards the end giving them the right to take the lead 25-18 after the first quarter.
Efes reacted and with Larkin and Plais having the priority in scoring the score reached 25-25. The home side however had an answer and although Chan’s team stayed close, they went away in the +5 (38-33) with Thompson’s 3-pointer being the one that sent the half to 38-36.
From then on the match became… a rodeo with Efes pulling “rabbits” out of the hat and for the first time bringing the difference to +7 in their favor (40-47) and then to +10 (43-53). Nevertheless, Real with a personal 10-0 equalized and finally managed to go to the fourth quarter with their advantage 64-61.
Only one that saw it??
What a pass by Shane Larkin??#MagicMoment I @AnadoluEfesSK pic.twitter.com/o4opoxtyPn
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) January 5, 2024
Mateo’s players, with Moussa and Tavares as the protagonists, brought Real to +3 (71-68) but Efes with Oturou entering the equation and Larkin being… immovable from the floor, took new head on the scoreboard 71-76 almost two minutes before the end. The match went point-to-point with Real coming back from -5 and equalizing with Moussa’s two shots sending the match to overtime (81-81).
And that’s how the most beautiful story in the Euroleague book began to be written, in the most golden letters. With the 10-10 in part in the first overtime which was shaped by two accurate shots by Larkin, Hezonia missed a three-pointer and the two teams went to an extra five minutes (91-91).
However, there was no winner there either, as Efes failed to take advantage of Larkin and Thompson’s accuracy as Real drew level with buzz beater of Hezonia, with the Croat sending the match to a third overtime (102-102).
HEZONJA SENDS IT TO ????THIRD OVERTIME????#MagicMoment I @RMBaloncesto pic.twitter.com/XyrF7l2u92
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) January 5, 2024
In the third five minutes, the mistakes prevailed as did the challenges, with Tavares making the nail after a rebound off a missed attempt by Musa and with Larkin missing the last shot for the 111-111.
However, the match was supposed to… end, in the 60′ game minutes, after Hezonia and Musa took action with the Croat scoring a crucial three-pointer and the Bosnian… ending it with a difficult basket for the final 130-126 that was formed by Larkin’s crazy 3-pointer.
SUPER MARIO WITH THE DAGGER IN OT #4 ??????
Yes, you read that right. Over Time Number 4????#MagicMoment l @RMBaloncesto l @mariohezonja pic.twitter.com/PdPW2twOKN
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) January 5, 2024
The quarters: 25-18, 38-36, 64-61, 81-81 (q.v.), 91-91 (1st par.), 102-102 (2nd par.), 130-126
The match statistics here
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
