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NBA Europe Live report: Real Madrid 104-103 Toronto Raptors
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 NBA Europe Live ended with another thriller as 13,706 fans in the next Final Four venue, the Sports Palace of Madrid, saw their beloved Real Madrid top the Toronto Raptors 104-103 on Thursday night. The victory meant that Euroleague teams finished 2-2 in the four NBA Europe Live games they played, with Unicaja having beaten Memphis in a similarly tight game two nights earlier. Efes Pilsen and Lottomatica lost the first two games of the series by a total of 7 points. After falling behind 3-13 to start the game, Madrid worked from behind for a long time before finally taking a 66-63 lead midway through the third quarter and holding it for much of the early fourth quarter. The advantage went back and forth from there. Toronto went ahead for a moment before 19-year-old Sergio Lllull changed the game with his third and fourth triples back to back. Charles Smith landed the key triple heading into the final minute, but Toronto's Andrea Bargnani matched him, setting up a tight finish that Llull settled with a huge steal and free throws. Louis Bullock paced Madrid with 27 points, while Smith added 18, Llull 17 and Blagota Sekulic 10. For Toronto, Andrea Bargnani poured in 23 points, T.J. Ford 18, Jorge Garbajosa 15 and Rasho Nesterovic 13. Both teams were missing important big man: NBA all-star Chris Bosh sat out the game for Toronto, while world champion starter Felipe Reyes didn't suit up for Real Madrid.
Toronto got off to a fast start as Rasho Nesterovic dunked on a fastbreak to trigger a 0-9 start capped by Andrea Bargnani's three-pointer from the top. Madrid waited almost 3 minutes until Charles Smith gave the home fans a triple to applaud. After a pair of additional baskets by Nesterovic made it 3-13, Smith rained his second shot from downtown. When Lazaros Papadopoulos got a basket-plus-free throw, Madrid was within 9-15. Hervelle, already strapped with 2 fouls, made a pair of spectacular inside baskets, a reverse on a pass from Raul Lopez and an alley-oop fed to him by Louis Bullock. Jorge Garbajosa responded for Toronto, however, cancelling a triple by Raul Lopez with one of his own for a 16-24 score. Alex Mumbru and Blagota Sekulic sparked Madrid by sharing 3 baskets off the bench, but Toronto got to the foul line enough to hold onto a 22-29 edge after 12 minutes.
 Backup big man Chris Humphries hooked and Garbajosa put back a rebound to restore a double digit lead, 22-33, for Toronto at the start of the second quarter. Madrid had to react, and did behind Sekulic, who hit jmper from the top and a fastbreak layup before Bullock blasted his first points from downtown. That 7-0 run made it 29-33. Out of a timeout, Jason Kapono steadied the Raptors with a baseline jumper and T. J. Ford came back for a driving layup. Bullock and Sekulic kept answering until it Madrid was as close as 36-37 and the Raptors needed to talk again. They decided to go to Bargnani inside, where he got 4 consecutive free throws. Ford then made a three-point play to make it 39-46. Sergio Llull and Bargnani traded three-pointers before Juan Dixon and Luke Jackson lifted Toronto's lead to double digits again, at 44-54. Madrid's reaction was swift: a three-point play by Smith, another triple by Llull, a sweet hook shot by Hervelle and a triple by Smith. That 11-0 run tied it up 54-54 with 22 seconds left, but Nesterovic broke free for another dunk to retain for Toronto a 54-56 lead at the half.
Bullock came out and tied it up on the first basket of the third quarter, and after Nesterovic scored inside, hit a second jumper for a 58-58 scoreboard. Ford and Nesterovic combined for 5 quick points then and a 58-63 Toronto lead, but Madrid tightened up its defense and let loose on offense. Papadopoulos dropped a hook, then Bullock and Michalis Pelekanos rained back-to-back triples, the second of which put the hosts in front, 66-63. Pelekanos finished a fastbreak to make it 68-63 before Toronto looked to its Europeans to recover. Garbajosa's triple, a drive by Calderon and a short shot by Bargnani vaulted Toronto back in front, 68-70. The battle was heating up with Papadopoulos hitting in the post, Bargnani and Smith at opposite foul lines as the lead changed hands three times. Kapono drilled from one corner to take it back for Toronto, and Smith answered with a long ball from the opposite one. Madrid finished off the quarter right, however, as Lopez hit a free throw and Sekulic a put-back good for a 79-75 for the hosts after 36 minutes.
 It was clear that both teams felt pressure to go for the win as they shared almost 3 scoreless minutes to start the final quarter. Madrid got only a put-back by Venson Hamilton through the first half of the quarter, while Toronto got back in the game with 5 free throws between Garbajosa and Bargnani. Calderon did the honors of taking back the lead on driving reverse with just under 7 minutes left, then Bargnani dropped back an offensive rebound to make it 81-84 for the visitors. At the five-minute mark, Bullock tied it with a triple, and a minute later, Llull exploded on consecutive trips down the floor, landing rainbow triples that suddenly had Madrid in front 90-86. The teams traded basket, Garbajosa and Bargnani for Toronto, Papadopoulos and Llull for Madrid. Smith buried a big triple with 1:03 to play to make it 97-92, but Bargnani matched him with 27 seconds to go. Llull took over then, making 3 of 4 free throws and grabbing the key steal to assure the win.
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