Kosner Baskonia defeats Real Madrid: Luwawu-Cabarrot decides the final moments. Kosner Baskonia snatched a victory over Real Madrid with a score of 88:83. French player Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 21 points and became the key player in the closing moments. Madrid suffers their fourth consecutive defeat in the Endesa League.
At Movistar Arena in Madrid, Kosner Baskonia scored a crucial 88–83 victory over Real Madrid. The hero of the game was French forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, who tallied 21 points and secured second place in the Endesa League standings for Baskonia with one round left in the regular season.
The match took place in the wake of Real Madrid's recent loss in the EuroLeague final, but this did not stop the fans from supporting the team and coach Sergio Scariolo. That evening, Madrid's team once again failed to break their losing streak: this was their fourth consecutive defeat in the national championship.
The game began with both teams active from beyond the arc: in the first quarter, each side made five three-pointers, with the score at the 10-minute mark favoring the hosts, 29-26. However, the pace slowed in the second quarter, and Real Madrid went into halftime with a slim lead — 46–42. The visitors’ top performer in the first half was Eugene Omoruyi (11 points), while Mario Hezonja led the hosts (12 points).
After halftime, Kosner Baskonia quickly took the initiative, capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes and Madrid’s weak defense. A run of 10 unanswered points put Baskonia ahead — 52–46. But Real Madrid managed to get back into the game thanks to Hezonja’s energy and David Krämer’s accurate shooting, finishing the third quarter with a narrow lead — 66–64.
In the decisive quarter, Paolo Galbiati’s team increased their defensive pressure and took the lead again — 75–68. Scariolo called a timeout, after which Madrid leveled the score, but the closing moments belonged to Luwawu-Cabarrot: the Frenchman scored 10 straight points in the final two minutes, preventing the hosts from turning the game around.
For Real Madrid, Hezonja (21 points), Kramer and Okeke (13 each) stood out, while for Kosner Baskonia, in addition to Luwawu-Cabarrot, Omoreuyi (17) and Forrest (15) were effective. The final score was 88:83 in favor of the visitors.
Before the start of the match, Real Madrid fans showed their support for the team and coach, and also protested against the EuroLeague, unveiling a banner thanking the players. Turkish center Omer Yurtseven made his debut for the hosts, starting the game but has not yet shown himself on offense.
According to russpain.com, this season Real Madrid has already faced a run of setbacks, while interest in Spanish basketball remains high amid transfer rumors and roster changes among top clubs. For example, a possible transfer of Bernardo Silva to FC Barcelona was recently discussed — details on negotiations between the clubs sparked a wide response among fans.
In the Liga Endesa, Kosner Baskonia has secured second place with 24 wins, while Real Madrid, despite the defeat, has already guaranteed its regular season lead. The next round will be decisive for the playoff seeding. This evening, 6,545 spectators were present in the arena, and before the match started, the success of Real Madrid's youth team, which recently won the Spanish championship, was acknowledged.
