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abr 07 2026Valencia Basket faced EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at the Roig Arena in EuroLeague Matchday 36, the penultimate game of the regular season. The home side sought victory to secure a direct playoff berth (top-6), while the Milan squad aimed to upset the orange fortress.
The hosts, fifth in the standings with a 22-13 record, welcomed EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (17-18), the Italians fighting for their last chances to reach the play-in.
The first meeting was a true roller coaster, with Valencia Basket ultimately winning 100-103. A stellar performance by Jean Montero allowed Pedro Martínez's side to secure victory in the final stretch.
• Valencia Basket Starting Lineup: Brancou Badio, Darius Thompson, Kameron Taylor, Jaime Pradilla and Neak Sako.
• EA7 Emporio Armani Milan Starting Lineup: Ellis, Shields, Brooks, Nebo and Leday
Brancou Badio scored the game's first points with a corner three-pointer (3-0), and Leday quickly answered with a three of his own to tie it at 3.
A massive three-pointer from Darius Thompson put Valencia back up by three (12-9). The opening quarter was clearly a back-and-forth affair with baskets coming on nearly every possession.
The first timeout came with 4:19 remaining in the quarter at 14-13. Coming out of the timeout, Brooks hit a three-pointer for Milan to give them their first lead of the game (14-16). Jean Montero unblocked Valencia's offense with two consecutive three-pointers (20-17).
The first quarter ended with a slight home advantage. Brancou Badio led with 7 points. (27-24)
The second quarter began with a Mannion three-pointer tying it at 27, followed by another Badio three-pointer (30-27). With six minutes until halftime, both teams completely changed their lineups.
The first fifteen minutes featured constant basket-for-basket exchanges and a very high scoring pace. The Valencia team wasn't expecting this offensive output from the Italians. Brooks hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the visitors a +3 advantage heading into the locker room. Badio led with 14 points, while Milan's Leday had 10 points. (51-54)
The teams returned to the court with everything still to play for, with the Italian squad holding a three-point advantage. The first twenty minutes had been almost surreal in terms of level, with over one hundred combined points between both teams—a spectacle that left no neutral observer indifferent.
Valencia Basket's second-half start was poor, as the visitors quickly built a 7-point lead (52-59).
Pedro Martínez had to call timeout with six minutes remaining. Another Milan three-pointer began to doom Valencia Basket, who had come out flat after the break (56-67), down 11 points.
A 2+1 from Shields extended Milan's lead to +14 (61-75). From that point, Valencia Basket reacted and managed to enter the final ten minutes down just five points. Mannion scored the last basket of the third quarter. (78-83)
Everything was decided in the fourth quarter. Matt Costello scored first with a corner three-pointer (81-83). Kameron Taylor tied the game at 83 with two free throws, with nine minutes remaining.
Brancou Badio stole the ball and scored on the transition to give Valencia a +2 lead (85-83). Kameron Taylor hit another big basket, forcing the visiting coach to call timeout. A 9-0 run for Valencia in this quarter (87-83).
Jaime Pradilla hit a three-pointer to make it 90-83, extending the run to 12-0. Milan quickly responded with two good plays to get within two (90-88).
A thrilling final minute saw Valencia leading 96-94 when Milan missed a shot. Badio grabbed the rebound and scored two free throws on the fast break with 40 seconds remaining (98-94). Milan missed their next possession as well. Valencia Basket won and mathematically secured a EuroLeague playoff spot with two games remaining. Montero finished with 25 points. (102-96)
The next game comes Thursday at 20:45 against Panathinaikos, the penultimate game of the EuroLeague regular season and the last home game before the playoffs. A game without much drama for securing a top-6 spot since the work is already done. Congratulations, Valencia!
