CSKA — Real Madrid, 18 May 2018

The Real Madrid star made a comeback in the end of the season and completely changed the team’s game. The Army Men had no answer to the opponents balance in shooters and big men.

CSKA vs. Real Madrid: 83-92 (-9)

CSKA: Antonov (0), Rodriguez (5 + 6 as), Higgins (15 + 3 as + 4 pf), Kurbanov (7 + 5 pf), Hunter (4 + 7 rb) – start; De Colo (20 + 3 to + 4 pf), Rudd (0), Fridzon (0), Vorontsevich (0), Clyburn (16 + 7 rb + 2 as + 4 pf), Khryapa (0), Hines (16 + 9 rb)…

Real Madrid: Doncic (16 + 7 rb + 2 as + 3 to), Reyes (5), Campazzo (0), Ayon (12 + 11 rb + 5 to), Taylor (3) – start; Causeur (6 + 3 as), Randolph (2 + 2 as), Fernandez (6 + 2 as), Carrol (9 + 3 as), Tavares (5 + 3 bs + 5 pf), Llull (16 + 5 as), Thompkins (12 + 6 rb)…

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

Congratulations to Real, they were the better team today, they deserved to win. We opened the game very decisive, very determined. We were in control in the first quarter. I will talk about the second quarter. That cost us a lot, especially not being there at the defensive end. We gave up in four minutes something like 17 points or so. We knew they would come out and play like this. If you combine this with the third quarter, where we did not give up that many points, but we looked bad because of creation and because of their defense, that certainly hurt us a lot. We tried to spread the floor. The final moments of the fourth quarter we came close to about 6 or so. But it was not enough. Real was stronger and they deserved to win.