Pedro Martínez raised his fist when the horn sounded, something very unusual for him. against Milan (102-96) this Tuesday assured him a place in the playoffs of the Euroleague and thus saves that previous qualifying round of the play-in. This result gained even more value after the defeats of Fenerbahce, which they equal in second place, and Real Madrid. Now they have two days to establish themselves in the top four, which would ensure them playing at home in the tiebreaker of the crossroads. Sergio Scariolo’s team, which falls to fifth place, lost (102-88) to the leader, Olympiacos, which has 24 victories, one more than the Turks and Valencians. Baskonia, now without options, continues to show self-respect and beat Maccabi (101-98).
Valencia experienced another frenetic duel. The first quarter closed with 51 points (27-24), the confirmation of what the two teams had come to the Roig Arena for. and Milan had not come out to speculate. They shook hands to compete to see who of the two could score the most baskets. His high percentages in any type of shot served to increase the scoreboard without stopping. A storm of points: 85 in 15 minutes (42-43). There was no respite.
The party had no end. At halftime, they had already surpassed one hundred points (51-54). The fans were happy during the game because every few seconds something happened. after seeing that his team had conceded 54 points in 20 minutes. A foolhardy act even for a formation with Valencia Basket’s scoring prowess.
Valencia’s defense did not improve, as they received the third quarter with a run of 8-18 that stung at the Roig Arena, with Milan above ten points for the first time (56-67) thanks to the fact that they found very comfortable shots that allowed them to navigate with percentages close to 60% success in both two- and three-point shots. The fouls that could have hindered these streaks were very inopportune and Milan continued doing their thing (61-75).
Valencia began to defend well into the third quarter. Just when he found himself in water up to his neck. The effort was rewarded and they got back into the game (76-70) with Jean Montero later leading his group in each attack (14 points in this period). There are days like this when it seems that Pedro Martínez decides when to demand that extra effort in a season with so many games. The Dominican (25 points, five rebounds and three assists), well supported by Brancou Badio and Jaime Pradilla, added key baskets to finish sinking the Italian team.
102
88
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLY | 31 | 18 | 23 | 30 | 102 |
| RMA | 19 | 23 | 15 | 31 | 88 |
Valencia Basket’s pace of victories and collapsed in the second half against an Olympiacos that flew with the wings of the American Tyler Dorsey, author of 37 points (43 PIR), with seven triples, and the Greek Sasha Vezenkov, who contributed 26 points and nine rebounds. Scariolo’s team will improve its chances of finishing the regular season in the top six with two games against Fenerbahce, in its worst moment of the season, and Red Star.
Baskonia, which received Maccabi Tel Aviv behind closed doors, continues not to let go in the Euroleague despite having run out of goals after suffering 24 defeats. Paolo Galbiati’s team, well coached by Trent Forrest, and with points from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, achieved its twelfth victory.
