The final possession of the game was in Nikola Mirotic's hands. With seconds remaining, Barça led by three (89-86) and Valencia Basket had done everything possible to stay alive. The Montenegrin's three-pointer didn't fall, and the Palau breathed a sigh of relief after a fourth quarter in which Aleksander Sekulic's team saw nearly all of its built-up advantage slip away.
Before that finish, the night had two moments that defined the game. The first came from Tosan Evbuomwan, with a block with two minutes remaining that the Palau was already celebrating as the play of the day, just as Valencia had pulled within three (82-79). The second was from Joel Parra. With the score at 85-83 and the game hanging in the balance, the Catalan wing found a three-pointer that gave Barça the margin it needed to survive the final stretch.
From 19-26 to +11
Valencia Basket started stronger. TJ Shorts, their best player with 19 points and a 22 rating, set the pace from the opening minute, and the pick-and-roll of Xavi Albert's team did constant damage to Barça's defense. A Shorts basket at the buzzer closed the first quarter at 19-26, and shortly after, the visitors' lead reached nine points.
Barça's response came from three-point range. Kevin Punter and Tyson Martin chained three consecutive three-pointers in a 9-0 run that tied the game at 28. From there, the game became a back-and-forth affair at a frantic pace. A Brooks three-pointer left it at 39-40 at halftime.
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The third quarter belonged to Barça. A 10-1 run out of halftime forced Albert to call a timeout, and Valencia entered a shooting slump that the home team exploited with fast breaks and free throws. Jordan Nebo, with 12 points and a 17 rating, was a problem in the paint. Tyson Martin posted a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds. With 68-60 at the end of the quarter and 75-66 right at the start of the fourth, the game seemed under control.
Valencia Doesn't Give Up
It wasn't. After a 79-72 score that forced Sekulic to call a timeout, Barça went scoreless for several minutes, and Valencia got back into the game with baskets from Omari Moore and a three-pointer from Dylan Osetkowski. After Evbuomwan's block, Mirotic brought his team within one (82-81). From there, everything came down to free throws and Parra's three-pointer.
The final fourteen seconds had everything. Mirotic missed one of his two free throws, with a re-shoot of the second included. Martin had a basket waived off for traveling after an official review. Kameron Taylor scored quickly to make it 88-86, and Gibson, who had a quiet night up to that point, made the second free throw for the final 89-86. Mirotic's last three-pointer came up short and Barça took the game.