València Basket 102-75 Barça: Setback in Game 2
Barça fell to a heavy defeat as Valencia Basket levelled the ACB Finals with a 102-75 win. Xavi Pascual’s side struggled to match Valencia’s intensity throughout the game and were left chasing from the outset.
Trailing early
The blaugrana made the worst possible start, struggling badly at both ends of the court. Valencia raced into an 11-0 lead before Jan Vesely finally opened Barça’s account midway through the first quarter. The visitors were unable to slow the home side’s momentum, and Valencia closed the opening period with a commanding 26-11 advantage.
Barça faced an uphill battle from that point on. Valencia continued to control proceedings and stretched their lead to 17 points midway through the second quarter.
However, as they had done in Game 1, the Catalans responded. Inspired by the drive of Laprovittola, the energy of Cale and the fighting spirit of Shengelia, they produced a 2-13 run to cut the gap significantly. The Argentine guard led the comeback effort as the deficit was reduced to just five points, leaving the score at a much more manageable 45-38 at halftime.
Not enough
Any hopes of completing the turnaround disappeared after the break. Valencia came out firing and quickly restored a double-digit lead. Three-point shooting, which had been such a key weapon for Barça in the opening game, became a major problem this time around. The hosts found their range from beyond the arc while the visitors struggled for accuracy, and the third quarter turned into a nightmare.
Valencia dominated every aspect of the game and outscored Barça 30-14 in the period to build a lead of more than 20 points.
From there, the outcome was never in doubt. Barça were unable to disrupt Valencia’s rhythm or regain any momentum, and the gap continued to grow as the game wore on. The hosts eventually sealed an emphatic 102-75 victory.
There is little time to dwell on the defeat, however. The series now moves to the Palau Blaugrana level at 1-1, with Barça still holding home-court advantage and looking to make it count in Game 3 on Monday.
MATCH STATS
València Basket, 102
Barça, 75
València Basket: Badio (7), Taylor (5), Key (15), Montero (19), Sako (4), De Larrea (10), Costello (8), Pradilla (10), Cárdenas (2), Sima (9), Moore (11) & Puerto (2)
Barça: Marcos (-), Punter (2), Clyburn (2), Shengelia (9), Fall (3), Satoransky (3), Vesely (7), Brizuela (10), Laprovittola (14), Parra (16), Cale (5) & Hernangómez (4)
Periods: 26-11; 19-27 // 30-14; 28-23
Referees: Emilio Pérez Pizarro, Fernando Calatrava & Arnau Padrós