Widely regarded for its fast offense, it was defense that made the difference for the Spanish side in Round 12
Valencia shows another side of its game to defeat Crvena Zvezda
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 12 of 38
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
7673
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
Overview
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Much has been written about Valencia Basket and head coach Pedro Martinez's run-and-gun style, which has seen the team score 100 points or more three times this season. The recipe has been the same since Coach Martinez joined the team: playing with a lot of possessions and taking the first open shot his team gets, no matter how long is left on the clock.
What most people fail to see, however, is that Valencia is a top-class defensive team – one of the best in the EuroLeague – and only when its defense is on point does that fun-to-watch offense take a back seat.
On Friday, Valencia beat Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 76-73 at Roig Arena to improve to 7-5 in the standings. The Serbian outfit was held to a season-low score, with its previous low being the 79 points it recorded in a home victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 7.
For Valencia, it was the fourth time in six games that it has held its opponents under 80 points. That streak includes high-scoring teams like Real Madrid, Dubai Basketball, and reigning champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
Valencia managed to protect the paint despite being outrebounded 31-44. Zvezda came into this game hitting 56.3% of its two-point shots, dishing 19.2 assists per night, and committing a dangerous number of turnovers (14.0) per game.
Against Valencia, coach Sasa Obradovic's team hit just 15-of-36 two-pointers (41.7% 2FG), recorded 16 assists, and committed as many as 19 turnovers. Seven of those turnovers came in the second quarter, allowing Valencia to build a 49-39 lead at the break.
With the game on the line, Nikola Kalinic picked up his team's final turnover, which ended up sealing the outcome down the stretch.
Defense allowed Valencia to secure a win on a night when its shots were not falling. The hosts finished the game with 13 steals, tying their third-best mark in the competition. They previously had 15 steals in an 87-100 road win over Zalgiris on April 1, 2004, and 14 in an 82-56 victory over FC Bayern Munich on November 15, 2019.
"This is basketball. We made some not great decisions in the last minute and a half. But we fought, we rebounded better in the second half and it's an important win for us," Coach Martinez said after the game.
"We played against a great team. They have great tactics with switching defenses. It's always hard and difficult to attack that, but finally the personality of the players and making winning decisions made the difference to win an important game."
Brancou Badio and Kameron Taylor both played key roles in the triumph. Taylor did a little bit of everything, getting 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 fouls drawn, and a PIR of 17. He had a crucial basket off a spin move that gave Valencia a 75-71 lead with 1:03 remaining. Badio provided much-needed instant offense off the bench, scoring 16 points in as many minutes.
"We just found a way to win at the end. Hopefully we are only going up from here," Taylor said after the game. "I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to help my team win. That's it."
After four consecutive home victories, Valencia hosts FC Bayern Munich in Round 13 on Tuesday, November 25. Zvezda goes back home to face Olympiacos Piraeus on Wednesday, November 26.
