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sep 27 2026The Roig Arena opened the curtain on the 2026-2027 Liga Endesa season. The wait was over. Valencia Basket began their journey in the Liga Endesa 2026-27 against iLERNA Lleida on Sunday (18:00), in the first official game of the season at a Roig Arena that once again presented a spectacular atmosphere, with packed stands and renewed excitement. Thus began a season especially marked on the orange calendar, that of the club's 40th anniversary.
The team led by Xavi Albert arrived at their league debut after having already played two official matches. The first ended with a narrow loss to Barcelona in the Supercopa Endesa semifinals (86-87), while last Friday brought their European debut with a hard-fought victory against Beşiktaş in Istanbul (94-96). Two opening commitments that helped the new project begin to build rhythm before facing the long road of domestic competition.
Facing them was iLERNA Lleida, in their second consecutive season in the top category, who arrived in Valencia determined to make things difficult for the orange team. The team led by Gerard Encuentra maintained some pieces from last season and had added experience and physicality to their roster, with names like Melvin Ejim, Oriol Paulí, John Shurna, and Atoumane Diagne.
With the Roig Arena atmosphere as the setting and the first Liga Endesa points on the line, Valencia Basket officially began a special season, marked by the club's 40th anniversary and the challenge of competing for everything once again.
Valencia Basket could not begin their Liga Endesa 2026-27 journey with a victory. Xavi Albert's team fell to Ilerna Lleida (100-105) at a Roig Arena that once again presented a great atmosphere, but ended up seeing the Catalan team take a victory of great merit after dominating much of the game and taking advantage of the defensive lapses of the orange team.
Xavi Albert started with TJ Shorts, Sergio de Larrea Saint-Supery, Kameron Taylor, Nate Reuvers, and Jasiel Rivero, while Lleida came out with McGhee, Hughes, Ejim, Oriol Paulí Fornells, and Perrin. Omari Moore, Yankuba Sima, and Osetkowski were left out of the Valencia squad.
The opening tip went to the visiting side and so did the first points. McGhee opened the scoring from three-point range and Lleida came out firing. In just 130 seconds, the Catalan team was already dominating 0-10, forcing Xavi Albert to call a timeout. Valencia couldn't find answers and had conceded ten points without getting on the board.
Jasiel Rivero, with a putback, was responsible for opening Valencia's account and gradually the home team began to react. Nikola Mirotic's debut also provided a new offensive weapon for Valencia. The Spanish-Montenegrin converted two free throws and, shortly after, put the home team ahead for the first time with a jump shot that made it 17-16 on the scoreboard.
Lleida called a timeout with 3:53 left in the first quarter, but Valencia took advantage of the momentum. Armoni Brooks extended the lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 20-16, although the visiting response was immediate. The Catalan team found space again and, with a 0-10 run in the final stretch, managed to turn the scoreboard around. Valencia also suffered several problems closing out on the defensive rebound and ended the first quarter trailing.
(20-26)
The second quarter began with an action by Josep Puerto, who scored a basket and drew a foul, but couldn't complete the and-one. Lleida responded immediately from three and maintained their lead in a much more even game than the opening suggested.
Valencia gradually warmed up and found their outside shooters as the way back into the game. Kameron Taylor, with a three-pointer, made it 33-33 and restored parity to the scoreboard. The game then entered a back-and-forth dynamic, with both teams alternating control.
Nate Reuvers also appeared from the free throw line to place the largest home lead to that point, although he could only convert one of his two attempts to make it 50-45. Lleida didn't fall apart and continued competing until the final seconds of the first half.
The visitors had the three-pointer in their hands to go into halftime ahead, but couldn't find the mark. Valencia and Lleida reached intermission tied at 53, with Nikola Mirotic and Armoni Brooks as the leading scorers for the home team, both with 11 points.
(53-53)
After the halftime break, Nate Reuvers opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to return the initiative to Valencia. TJ Shorts also opened his scoring account from the free throw line after a technical foul and, on the next possession, a Lleida turnover allowed Kameron Taylor to complete an and-one that put the score at 61-54, although he again missed the additional free throw.
It seemed Valencia could begin to take control of the game, but the defensive lapses appeared again. Lleida gradually cut the deficit and managed to tie at 63. Shortly after, the visitors went ahead again (63-65) with three minutes left in the third quarter.
The Catalan team was finding too many easy opportunities against a Valencia defense that couldn't quite adjust its positions. Valencia quickly lost advantages it had worked for over several minutes and ended the quarter trailing. The first timid boos appeared at the Roig Arena due to the poor shooting and the feeling that the team wasn't imposing its rhythm (72-76).
The final quarter started with Valencia down four points and forced to react to avoid a stumble in their league debut. Neal Sako was responsible for cutting into the deficit with a dunk off an assist from Kameron Taylor, but Lleida responded again from three.
Defensive problems continued to punish the orange team. The visiting team found three-pointers too open and also space in the paint, where they scored easily. Valencia's defense couldn't find the consistency needed to stop the offensive production of a Lleida team that remained ahead.
With seven minutes left, the Catalan team began to accumulate fouls while Valencia hadn't committed any in the quarter. Another technical foul called on the visiting coach allowed Nikola Mirotic to convert from the line and leave the game at just two points (79-81). Shortly after, Jasiel Rivero tied it at 81 with five minutes still to play.
Tension then took over the Roig Arena. Lleida responded again with a three-pointer and maintained a small lead while Valencia searched for the final reaction. TJ Shorts then assumed offensive responsibility and, with six consecutive points generated by him, managed to tie the game at 89 with three minutes remaining.
But Lleida didn't collapse. The Catalan team found solutions in offense again and reached the final minute with a 92-96 advantage. Valencia needed a final reaction to prevent their home league debut from ending in defeat. It didn't come. The visiting team managed the final possessions better and ended up securing a victory of great merit at the Roig Arena by 100-105.
Valencia Basket left their first Liga Endesa game with an unexpected defeat given the venue and opponent, but also with several issues to correct after a game in which defensive lapses proved decisive. Lleida, who never stopped believing despite the home advantages, took away a prestigious victory on the orange team's court.
