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jun 10 2026Valencia Basket and Asisa Joventut kick off one of the most compelling ACB League semifinals on Wednesday at the Roig Arena. The best-of-five series pits the second-place regular season finisher against the sixth, though their league standings don't fully capture how competitive both teams are entering the matchup.
Pedro Martínez's squad holds the home-court advantage after finishing the regular season with a 25-9 record. The first two games will be played in Valencia before the series travels to the Olímpic de Badalona. Joventut, however, arrives with momentum after eliminating Kosner Baskonia 2-1 in the quarterfinals, clinching the series with a decisive victory at the Buesa Arena.
Valencia Basket dispatched Surne Bilbao Basket quickly. The orange squad had to rally in the first game at the Roig Arena, but showed a much more solid version in Miribilla to close out the series without needing a third game. That ability to respond in different venues reinforces Valencia's status as one of the title favorites.
Valencia Basket's season already has historic dimensions after reaching their first EuroLeague Final Four, but the league objective remains very much alive. Pedro Martínez's team is seeking to return to the ACB League Finals for the second consecutive year, backed by a deep roster with multiple scoring options and a very defined offensive identity.
Jean Montero has established himself as one of the team's key players this season, well supported by Kameron Taylor's versatility, Jaime Pradilla's energy, and the growth of players like Brancou Badio, Nate Reuvers, and Neal Sako. Valencia has been the league's highest-scoring team, averaging over 94 points per game, and their ability to run, share the ball, and attack from different positions makes them extremely difficult to control for forty minutes.
Joventut arrives from a different emotional place, but with enormous competitive strength. Dani Miret's team pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the quarterfinals by eliminating the defending Copa del Rey champion, overcoming the home-court disadvantage and winning the decisive game in Vitoria. Penya has recovered its form, confidence, and a recognizable identity at the most important moment of the year.
Ricky Rubio emerges as the great symbol of the green-and-black momentum. His performance in the decisive matchup against Baskonia confirmed his impact in big games and his ability to orchestrate the team when the series demands composure, patience, and personality. Alongside him, Cameron Hunt presents himself as one of the main threats to Valencia Basket, having been Joventut's leading scorer in all three regular season matchups against the orange squad.
The American guard will be one of the standout names of the semifinal. He has already proven during the season that he can hurt Valencia's defense, while players like Adam Hanga, Jabari Parker, and Simon Birgander have elevated their performances in the decisive stretch. The absence of Ante Tomic through season's end affects Joventut's interior rotation, though the arrival of Yannis Morin has helped strengthen that area.
The series also presents an attractive clash of styles. Valencia Basket wants pace, transition, depth, and high-scoring basketball. Joventut, meanwhile, has shown it can compete through defense, tempo control, and the ability to turn each possession into a battle. That difference could define much of how the series develops.
This season's head-to-head record slightly favors Valencia Basket, with two wins in three games. The orange squad won at the Roig Arena during the regular season and also in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, while Penya prevailed at the Olímpic de Badalona. None of those matchups left an impression of absolute dominance, which reinforces the idea of an open semifinal despite Valencia's home-court advantage.
Recent history in Valencia does smile on the orange squad, which has won the last five home games against Joventut. Still, the green-and-black team has already shown in these playoffs that it doesn't need to be favored to compete or win away from Badalona.
This will be Valencia Basket's eleventh ACB League semifinal, seeking their fourth finals appearance. Joventut returns to this round three years later and pursues a finals berth that has eluded them for decades. Two different paths, two very powerful states of mind, and an unexpected semifinal that begins at the Roig Arena with far more balance than the standings suggest.
