Valencia triumphs over Barcelona

Valencia rallied past Barcelona on Friday night (72-78) and earned a big road win, maintaining a top four push in the ACB.

Thanks to this victory, Valencia extended its winning streak in the ACB Liga Endesa to five games.

Following a balanced first half (31-30), the match was decided in the final minutes.

The Catalans came back from an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter (48-56). Outscoring their opponents 19-10, they were in front by one (67-66), with three minutes to go.

Yet, the visitors made some big shots and closed the game on a 5-12 run, sealing the deal.

Four players scored in double figures for the winners, with Bojan Dubljevic leading the way with 14 points. On the other hand, Thomas Heurtel had a game-high 18 points for the losing squad.

Valencia improved to 21-10 and maintained a top four push. On the other hand, Barcelona suffered its seventh defeat (24-7) and dropped to the third place on the table.

This was the third loss in the last five games for Barcelona. Consequently, they saw both Real Madrid (25-6) and Baskonia (24-7) surpass them in the standings.

Following their elimination from the Final Four, Barcelona wants to close the season in a successful way.

This will happen only if they win the title in the Liga Endesa and make the double. They have already claimed the Copa Del Rey trophy back in February.

Concurrently, the team’s performance in the rest of the season will determine the changes in the roster during the offseason.

At the same time, Valencia has already been successful, having won the EuroCup title in April.

Thereby the squad secured its ticket to the 2019/20 EuroLeague. Now it’s a matter of prestige for Valencia; they will try to earn the Spanish title despite the odds.

Last but not least, Barcelona’s presence in the EuroLeague is guaranteed as well, as the club is under a 10-year contract.