Real Madrid beat Obradoiro 114 to 107 in the ACB on Sunday evening. The visitors kept their place at the summit of the Spanish league after a hard-fought contest in Valladolid. The result leaves them eight points clear at the top of the table.
And here's the thing about this game — it wasn't the kind of match where one side pulled away early. Obradoiro made a fist of it, keeping things close through three quarters. Real Madrid's experience showed in the final period, when they found the extra gear needed to close out the win.
The visitors' shooting was efficient at 47.8 per cent from the field, compared with Obradoiro's 51.3. Real Madrid took 33 shots from beyond the arc and hit 13, while their opponents went 11 for 31. The free-throw line told another story — Real Madrid made 35 of 48 attempts, a significant advantage in a game decided by seven points.
To be fair, Obradoiro won the rebound battle in their own half with 23 defensive boards to 29, but Real Madrid's 43 total rebounds against 36 made the difference in transition. The visitors also recorded 24 assists to 18, moving the ball with more purpose when it mattered.
By then, Real Madrid had already confirmed what the standings suggest — this is a side built for the long haul. Twenty-six wins from 34 games, with only eight defeats, is the kind of consistency that separates champions from pretenders. The recent results show they've been tested, losing to Hapoel Tel Aviv and Anadolu Efes, but they respond.
Obradoiro's run of five straight victories came to an end here. They'd beaten MoraBank Andorra, Gipuzkoa, Estela, and Estudiantes in succession before this setback. Things came to a head on this occasion, and the result leaves them looking up from mid-table.
The margin of victory — seven points — doesn't tell the full story. Real Madrid will take the win, but they'll know they needed their shooting to click when the pressure was on. That's the difference at this level.
