TJ Shorts Decides EncestaRías Final as Valencia Edges Baskonia (93-91)

Valencia Basket closed out its preseason with a narrow victory over Baskonia (93-91) in the EncestaRías Trophy final in Pontevedra, defending the title they won last year. TJ Shorts was decisive down the stretch.

A game between two teams that want to run

The pace was high from the start, which made sense given both teams' style of play. With the first rotations, Valencia took the lead thanks to the connection between Mario Saint-Supéry and Álvaro Cárdenas, and closed the first quarter 19-17.

In the second quarter came the outside shooting: two three-pointers from Puerto and another from Armoni Brooks built a lead of up to ten points. But Baskonia kept fighting and cut it to 39-36, before a basket from Gonzalo Corbalán made it 41-36 at halftime.

The pattern repeated after the break. Another three-pointer from Brooks extended the lead to eleven, and once again the Vitoria team chipped away, entering the fourth quarter down just five points.

The decisive stretch

That closeness gave Baskonia wings, and they took their first lead since the first quarter (62-64). That's when Shorts appeared. The point guard took over the team, strung together several high-quality baskets, and restored Valencia's advantage (78-73) with four minutes left.

It didn't last long. A Baskonia and-one tied it at 82 with three minutes remaining, and from there everything came down to the free-throw line, with tight officiating and a constant exchange of free throws. The score reached 90-89 with forty seconds left and was tied at 91 after several fouls.

Two free throws from Shorts made it 93-91. Baskonia missed, grabbed the rebound, and still had four seconds to tie or win: the ball reached AJ Lawson, who missed the final shot.

Two perspectives

For Valencia, it's a perfect finish. Head coach Xavi Albert's team ends the preseason undefeated, having also beaten Casademont Zaragoza and Monbus Obradoiro, with Shorts established as the leader in crucial moments. In this game, Mo Gueye and Omari Moore were left out, with Lucas Marí and Valtonen getting minutes.

For Baskonia, the balance is bittersweet. They competed on equal terms until the final second for the second consecutive day, after beating Alba Berlin in the semifinal, but they continue to struggle with the same issue: an unresolved frontcourt following Khalifa Diop's departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers and with negotiations ongoing for Alex Len.