Real Madrid escaped Arena Botevgrad with a narrow 75–74 win over Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on Tuesday, relying on Mario Hezonja’s best performance of the season to secure its second road victory of the EuroLeague campaign.
Hezonja entered the game after a difficult two-week stretch, averaging 7.5 points over his previous six outings.
Sergio Scariolo placed him back in the starting lineup, and the veteran responded with 19 points, six rebounds, three steals and perfect efficiency inside the arc.
Hezonja opened the game with a post-up finish and went on to score 11 points in the first quarter, helping Real Madrid build a 22–18 lead after shooting 4-of-4 on two-pointers and 1-of-2 from deep.
Hapoel countered by edging each of the last three quarters, tightening its defense and relying on backcourt scoring from Anthony Blakeney and Chris Jones, who combined for 28 points.
The hosts pushed ahead 58–52 late in the third after an 8–0 run, their largest advantage of the night.
Real Madrid answered with its own 8–0 surge to close the quarter, sparked by scoring from Gabriel Deck and physical interior defense from Walter Tavares.
Early in the fourth, a 5–0 burst gave the visitors a 65–58 cushion, their biggest lead of the game.
Hapoel responded again with a 7–0 run to tie the score at 67–67 with 6:21 remaining, fueled by Elijah Bryant’s activity on the perimeter.
From that point forward, Real Madrid tightened its coverage and limited the EuroLeague’s highest-scoring offense to just seven points over the final minutes.
Real Madrid finished the night shooting 55% on two-pointers and 37% from deep, while recording 11-of-16 at the line.
Facundo Campazzo added 11 points and four assists, while Alberto Abalde contributed 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
Deck chipped in nine points and six boards, providing physicality in key defensive possessions.
Hapoel stayed in contention with 14 points each from Jones and Blakeney, while Johnathan Motley posted 10 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes.
Dan Oturu delivered six points and nine boards, anchoring the paint against Madrid’s post threats.
The loss dropped Hapoel to 9–4, ending its strong offensive run with a season-low scoring output.
Real Madrid improved to 7–6 and picked up a much-needed boost after losing five of its first six road games.
Both teams now shift focus to next week’s schedule. Scariolo’s squad visits Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Thursday, while Hapoel hosts LDLC ASVEL in Round 14.
