Real Madrid overcomes 16-point deficit to defeat Dubai 98-95 in EuroLeague SuperCup semifinal

Early Dubai surge

Dubai Basketball started the EuroLeague SuperCup semifinal with high shooting accuracy at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Under head coach Xavi Pascual, the Emirati team opened the contest by making four consecutive three-point shots, with McKinley Wright IV scoring early to establish a 16-4 advantage by the sixth minute. Real Madrid struggled to generate offensive flow in the opening period, missing their first four attempts from beyond the arc. Dubai finished the opening ten minutes ahead 27-18 after hitting six of their first eight perimeter attempts.

Second-quarter comeback

Dubai extended its lead early in the second quarter when Davion Mintz scored to push the margin to 36-20, building a 16-point gap. Real Madrid accumulated 22 turnovers across the contest and entered the bonus early in the period, but adjusted their defensive intensity behind center Walter Tavares, Facundo Campazzo, Andres Feliz, and Gabriel Deck. Tavares scored 12 points and grabbed 3 rebounds during the second quarter, anchoring a 14-0 run across three minutes. Real Madrid reduced the deficit to 43-42 by halftime, recovering almost all lost ground before the break.

During a timeout as Madrid mounted its second-quarter push, Pedro Martinez instructed his players on the pace of play.

We have to run to make layups, we have to play fast. We must not stop.

Overtime finish and tactical decisions

The second half developed into a physical defensive matchup as Elie Okobo and Dwayne Bacon led Dubai's offense until Bacon exited following a head collision. Real Madrid leaned heavily on Tavares, who finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds in over 30 minutes of action. New signings Jaime Pradilla and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot provided key scoring, with Pradilla recording 13 points and 7 rebounds. Luwawu-Cabarrot produced 20 points and 6 assists, sinking the tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regular time to force overtime before scoring decisive free throws to close out the 98-95 victory.

Pedro Martinez left four players out of the matchday squad: team captain Sergio Llull, Gabriele Procida, Damian Jones, and recent signing Nick Smith Jr. Five of Madrid's seven offseason additions made their club debuts during the semifinal, with all five starting from the bench.

Final against Olympiacos

The victory advances Real Madrid to Saturday's final at 19:00 local time at the Etihad Arena against Olympiacos. The Greek side qualified for the final earlier on Friday by defeating Fenerbahce 92-90 in the other semifinal. The matchup serves as a replay of the previous EuroLeague final in Athens. Both Real Madrid and Dubai Basketball will open the EuroLeague regular season against each other on Thursday at the Coca-Cola Arena.