Real Madrid extended its dominance over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade with a hard-fought 77-73 victory on Friday night at Belgrade Arena.
The Spanish powerhouse improved to 17-11 in the EuroLeague standings and snapped a three-game road skid, while the hosts dropped to 9-19 despite another strong defensive effort at home.
As has often been the case in this matchup, Walter Tavares proved decisive in crunch time.
Real appeared in control midway through the fourth quarter when a Mario Hezonja three-pointer stretched the lead to 60-45.
Partizan responded with a 14-0 run fueled by back-to-back threes from Isaac Bonga and additional perimeter shots from Aleksej Pokusevski and Sterling Brown.
Duane Washington Jr. capped the surge with a driving layup to give the Serbian side a 63-62 advantage with just over eight minutes left.
The momentum shift forced Real into a half-court battle, and the visitors went scoreless for three minutes during the tense closing stretch.
Tavares broke the drought with a put-back dunk for a 71-69 edge, then kept a possession alive that led to Andres Feliz drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 39.5 seconds remaining.
Partizan had two chances from beyond the arc through Bonga but could not convert, and a late turnover sealed the outcome.
Facundo Campazzo and Hezonja closed the game at the free-throw line.
Trey Lyles and Hezonja led Los Blancos with 14 points apiece, while Tavares added 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks.
The center also altered several shots in the paint as Real held the hosts to 40.5 percent shooting overall.
The visitors shot 8-of-21 from three-point range compared to Partizan’s 7-of-28, a difference that proved critical in a four-point game.
The Belgrade club collected 17 offensive rebounds and committed just six turnovers, but struggled to convert from distance.
Real has now won nine straight meetings against Partizan, continuing a trend that dates back to the 2023 playoffs.
Next, Madrid hosts FC Bayern Munich on Feb. 26, while Partizan travels to face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Feb. 25.
