Friday night’s hosts have lost four straight, while the visitors have won four of their last five.
Resurgent Baskonia has chance to heap more misery on falling Valencia
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When Valencia Basket (5-5) and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (5-5) take to the court in Round 11 at La Fonteta on Friday night, there will be more than Spanish pride up for grabs. For Alex Mumbru’s squad, it will be a chance to get back on the right track in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, whereas Dusko Ivanovic’s visitors will be looking to keep up their momentum since his arrival.
Valencia is in need of a win
Valencia is currently on a four-game skid, so its 5-1 start to the 2023-24 EuroLeague season already feels like a long time ago. Admittedly, injuries have played their part, with guards Chris Jones (Round 7), Jared Harper (Rounds 8, 9) and Stefan Jovic (Round 10) all missing time during this recent losing run. Brandon Davies has cooled off after a strong start to the campaign, too.
The good news is that Jones and Harper are back available once again, with the duo scoring 8 and 9 points, respectively, in a 90-73 loss at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens last time out. Semi Ojeleye has also recovered from a disappointing night against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 7, when he scored 5 points, by averaging 12.3 points in the next three games.
What’s more, the possible return of Martin Hermannsson, who has been out all season due to knee surgery in mid-September, is likely to fill Valencia fans with a lot of joy. The second team captain is universally loved by everyone at Valencia, be that on the roster or in the bleachers, and his potential return to the court – even if it is just for a minute or two – is going to be a big motivator for the entire team.
Add in the fact that Coach Mumbru’s squad has played just once at home during its recent slide, narrowly losing 73-76 to Real Madrid in Round 8, and the passionate crowd at La Fonteta will no doubt be fired up for this all-Spanish clash. Last season was a tough experience for Valencia up against Baskonia, though.
Baskonia is firing on all cylinders
Baskonia, then led by Joan Penarroya, did the double over Valencia in the EuroLeague in the 2022-23 campaign. Penarroya, returning to Valencia just a few months after leaving, guided his team to a 71-81 win in Round 1 on the back of an MVP of the Round performance by Maik Kotsar. Then, later in the campaign, Baskonia thumped Valencia en route to a 39-point victory, 114-75, in Round 26.
The early part of this current campaign did not go to plan for Baskonia nor Penarroya, however, with the ex-Valencia tactician being given his marching orders after a Round 5 defeat at Panathinaikos that left the club with a 1-4 record. The injury bug struck Baskonia in the early weeks of the season, but Penarroya was nevertheless dismissed and replaced by Ivanovic, who took charge of the Vitoria-Gasteiz-based side for a fourth time.
Since then, Baskonia has not only improved to 5-5 record but could easily have been 5-0 under Coach Ivanovic were it not for some heroics by AS Monaco’s Jaron Blossomgame in the final seconds of last week’s thrilling Round 10 encounter. Notably, the arrival of the Montenegrin has coincided with better performances from Chima Moneke, Markus Howard and Codi Miller-McIntyre, while Tadas Sedekerskis, who is averaging a EuroLeague-best 9.3 rebounds per game, has continued to impress.
Defense vs. offense
Friday night’s visitors come into Round 11 ranking seventh in the EuroLeague in points, having posted 81.5 points per night, while Valencia has the league’s second-best defense, giving up 74.8 points per game. So, something has to break, right?
Most of Valencia’s success has been down to the way in has held opposition teams to a lower percentage from three-point territory, ranking second in this category as teams shoot 30.9% against Mumbru’s men. Baskonia marksman Howard is the obvious player that Valencia will need to keep quiet, and doing so could end up being one of the keys to the contest.
Conversely, teams facing Baskonia have shot 51.6% from inside the arc, the third-lowest mark in the EuroLeague, so the likes of Davies and Boubacar Toure will be in for a tough night against Matt Costello and Kostar. Valencia guards Jones and Harper will have to be wary on their drives, too.
There’s no doubt that a fascinating contest is in store at La Fonteta between two teams at other ends of the form table. Yet, in games against another side from the same nation, form tends to go out the window. Baskonia will be looking to keep up its positive momentum when it comes to La Fonteta, but Valencia is eager to get back in the win column – and what better way than knocking off a domestic rival?