Valencia Basket and Baskonia claimed convincing victories in the Euroleague on Friday, standing out in a round where other Spanish teams faced tight games. The Valencians edged out Estrella Roja in a tense finish, while the Vitorians staged a comeback against Bayern Munich. These wins bolster their standing in the continental competition.
In the twelfth round of the Euroleague, Valencia Basket and Baskonia showed resilience against tough opponents. First, Baskonia overcame a poor start against Bayern Munich at the Buesa Arena, their first home game in 15 days. Led by Markquis Nowell with 12 points, eight assists, and two rebounds for a 20 valuation rating, the Vitorians won 95-73 and returned to winning ways.
Half an hour later, at the Roig Arena, Valencia Basket, coached by Pedro Martínez and without young Sergio de Larrea due to a technical decision, faced Estrella Roja, co-leader with eight wins in 11 games, matching Hapoel Jerusalem. The match was electric and decided in the final seconds: with a one-possession lead for the Taronja, Serbian Nikola Kalinic mishandled an out-of-bounds play, handing the ball to Valencia, who closed out 76-73.
"We managed to find our defensive rhythm at the crucial moment, and they arrived tired in the final stretch because it was a hard and very physical game," Pedro Martínez told Movistar+. He added: "It was a coin toss ending. Last week it was tails for us, and this time it was heads." On singling out a player, the coach stressed teamwork: "Pick one of my players today? In the end, I'm more about team effort than individual distinctions."
Valencia now sits seventh in the Euroleague, with no players among the top 33 scorers, underscoring the strength of collective play. This round contrasted with Real Madrid's 100-99 win over Zalgiris and Barça's 74-73 loss to Efes in Istanbul.