EuroLeague: Real Madrid Defeats Valencia Basket, Advances to Championship Final (90-105)

ATHENS. Real Madrid defeated Valencia Basket 90-105 in the second semifinal of the EuroLeague Final Four and will play the continental final this Sunday against Olympiacos, powered by an offensive masterclass from Mario Hezonja and exceptional collective execution in crucial moments.

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The white team had to work much harder than the final score suggests against a competitive and brave Valencia Basket, who never stopped responding throughout much of the EuroLeague semifinal.

The start of the game was tremendously dynamic. Real Madrid quickly found points from beyond the arc with Alberto Abalde and Mario Hezonja, but the orange team reacted with character and even took the lead after a 9-0 run in the first quarter.

The Valencians closed the first ten minutes with an advantage thanks to a three-pointer from Sergio Larrea and a basket from Braxton Key, forcing Chus Mateo's team to adjust their offense to avoid bigger complications.

That's when Facundo Campazzo and Gabriel Deck appeared. Both took control of the game in the most delicate moments for Real Madrid, accelerating the offensive pace and punishing Valencia Basket's defensive turnovers. Usman Garuba also provided physical presence in the paint before halftime, allowing the whites to reach a ten-point advantage just before heading to the locker room.

Despite this, Valencia Basket managed to stay alive. Pedro Martínez's team resisted even without the best version of Jean Montero for much of the game and continued finding solutions to prevent Real Madrid from definitively breaking open the semifinal.

But the big blow came after halftime. Mario Hezonja put on an extraordinary third quarter from three-point range, repeatedly punishing Valencia's defense and leading a Real Madrid advantage that reached 16 points, a difference that began to look decisive in this EuroLeague matchup.

The negative note for Real Madrid came with the injury to Usman Garuba. The Spanish center went down injured while running toward an offensive play and the initial images set off all alarms for a possible Achilles tendon rupture. Garuba left the court unable to put weight on his foot, in an action that left the white team emotionally shaken.

For several minutes, Real Madrid lost offensive fluidity and stopped scoring from the field, affected by the emotional impact of the injury. However, the exceptional level of Gabriel Deck and Mario Hezonja proved sufficient to maintain the lead and seal the victory without excessive drama.

With this victory, Real Madrid will play the 22nd European Cup final in its history and will seek this Sunday a new EuroLeague title against Olympiacos in Athens.

Valencia Basket, despite the defeat, delivered a very competitive semifinal and once again demonstrated the enormous growth of the orange project this season in the top continental competition.