In a strange game, Baskonia lost to Sergio Scariolo’s Virtus (88-83), in an up-and-down exercise in which they started very badly, with a 9-0 run at the beginning, they recovered after the blackout that suffered the flag, to leave at the end of the first set with an advantage (16-19), thanks to the titanic effort of Giedraitis, the best of the Vitoria team almost from the beginning to the end, when he managed to cause three fouls in three consecutive shots, nine points for his team, which despite everything, could not come back.
euroleague working day 25
Baskonia lacked accuracy, because they shot more than Virtus, but they missed too much. He attempted 33 3-pointers, many of them in good scoring position, but only made 10 through the rim. Even the free throw percentage was not good (70%).
After that first set in favor of Baskonia, Virtus, who had lost quite a few balls in the first ten minutes, improved their concentration in attack and entrusted themselves to Belinelli, infallible from beyond the three-point line. His five shots scored were pure gold for the home team. At the break, Virtus’s lead was short (44-41), and when it seemed they were taking off on the scoreboard, Howard appeared with a hot hand, to score two three-pointers that tied the game at 58. It was a fleeting glimpse of the American, who he was loaded with fouls until he ended up out of the game with ten points and just over eleven minutes of play, in which he gave the feeling of being too fast. Sometimes it was a solution and a problem at the same time.
Baskonia held on thanks to the good game by Giedraitis, who finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and after receiving seven fouls, but his contribution was not enough, due to the defensive passivity of his teammates and poor shooting accuracy. they doomed the Basque team to ruin.
The last minutes were a tactical battle between Peñarroya and Scariolo, because Baskonia’s defeat was certain, but the average could turn in favor of the Italians, so there were time-outs, although in the end, not even the Basques managed to reach the score to their rival, not even the Bolognese added enough difference to overcome Baskonia’s advantage at the Buesa.
euroleague working day 25
Valencia Basket 85 – Olympiacos 92
Valencia stood up to the Euroleague leader in a vibrant first half by Alex Mumbrú’s men, but gave in to the evidence in the final twenty minutes. After finishing the first quarter with a five-point lead (25-20), they held their own to go into the break with the same difference, but suffered a devastating slump in the third quarter due to the explosive power of Papanikolau, Vezenkov and Sloukas , who completed a great game. Although Valencia tried at the end, their effort was not enough.
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