Valencia Basket stumbled again at the Roig Arena and suffered their second consecutive home loss in the EuroLeague. The defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of the teams that appeared to have fewer chances in the competition, confirmed the poor feelings of a dark week for the orange squad, who had also fallen to Olympiacos after squandering a 28-point lead. Three losses in less than a week, including Sunday's loss to FC Barcelona, set off alarm bells.
Head coach Xavi Albert's team showed serious defensive problems again, struggled to close out a tight game, and a rotation that raised questions. Although Gonzalo Corbalán led several comeback attempts, Valencia couldn't find the consistency needed to win and ended up paying for their mistakes in the decisive minutes.
Valencia Basket Starting Five: TJ Shorts, Armony Brooks, Kameron Taylor, Osetkowski and Sako.
Maccabi Tel Aviv Starting Five: Lundberg, Maras, Hoard, Brisset and Theis.
Xavi Albert's scratches for today: Mario Saint-Supery, Mo Gueye and Yankuba Sima.
The game started with bad news for Valencia. Maccabi struck first and, although Armony Brooks and TJ Shorts provided the first responses, Madar found too many easy scoring opportunities. The orange defense suffered especially in the paint and Xavi Albert had to call timeout with a concerning 11-13. Not even substitutions managed to initially stop the Israelis, who scored 31 points in just nine minutes. Corbalán contributed from three-point range, but the home team closed out a very poor first quarter. (23-31)
Maccabi extended their lead to 23-35 at the start of the second period, although Valencia improved as time went on. A steal and a basket by Corbalán allowed the orange squad to tie the score at 40, with the Argentine already at eight points. However, the visitors responded from beyond the arc and took advantage of a local turnover on the final possession to head into halftime ahead. Valencia continued to give up too much on defense. (48-50)
After the break, the Valencia team also couldn't immediately turn the game around. Maccabi maintained the initiative and, with three minutes remaining, led 63-69. The difference in fouls was also significant: Valencia had already committed five when the visitors hadn't reached any yet. Despite this, the home team reacted in the final stretch and a basket by Brooks off a rebound, practically at the buzzer, allowed them to close out the third quarter ahead. (72-71)
The final period was again marked by back-and-forth play. Taylor tied it at 76 and Sako gave Valencia the lead back after an assist from Taylor himself. At 83-83, Xavi Albert called timeout and Mirotic took advantage of a technical foul to keep the home team in the fight. Corbalán, who finished with 14 points, made it 85-83, but Maccabi responded with a three-pointer and once again exposed the orange squad's problems managing tight finishes. Valencia had an opportunity to force a comeback in the final seconds, but Taylor missed a crucial shot and they suffered another defeat. (88-91)
Valencia Basket's European week closed in the worst possible way: two consecutive home losses, to Olympiacos and Maccabi, and three setbacks in less than seven days if you add the game against Barcelona. Whistles from sections of the crowd reflected the frustration of fans who expected much more. The team continues to show defensive concerns, rotation management remains under scrutiny, and several players are not reaching the level required to compete in the EuroLeague.
Beyond the results, the roster appears to have lost depth compared to last season, with the departures of players like Badio, Montero, De Larrea, Costello and Pradilla. Valencia needs to recover players, raise collective performance, and find answers from the bench to compete with confidence again. The chance to react comes this Sunday at 5:00 p.m. when the team hosts UCAM Murcia in the fourth matchday of the Liga Endesa. With a 1-2 record in the domestic competition, the orange squad are obligated to step up in front of their home crowd.