Valencia Basket strengthened its playoffs push with a commanding 89-81 victory over direct rival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade at La Fonteta. The host improved to 10-10 after three straight wins while Partizan dropped to 9-11.
Valencia powers past Partizan, 89-81



Valencia bridged the first and second quarters with a 16-3 run to lead by double-digits. Partizan improved after the break and rallied to within 3 points, but could never get closer than that as Valencia powered home. Bojan Dubljevic inspired the home team with 20 points and 6 rebounds, James Webb netted 17 points and Chris Jones scored 13 on his return from injury. Dante Exum paced Partizan with 22 points, and Kevin Punter added 14.
Game Videos
Two dunks from Mathias Lessort and two triples from Punter gave Partizan the early edge, 12-13, despite 7 points for Josep Puerto. Jones scored twice to help send the host ahead, 27-18, after 10 minutes. Exum fought to narrow the gap with 7 straight points, but Dubljevic netted a pair of layups to keep Valencia in control, 47-37, at halftime.
Three-pointers from Dubljevic, Webb and Jones maintained a comfortable lead, but Exum cut the gap to 58-55 with 5 points in a 0-7 run. Dubljevic again reignited the host, and it was 69-58 after three quarters. Partizan rallied once more despite Lessort fouling out, and Punter’s triple pulled it back to 75-72, but three-point plays from Dubljevic, Webb and Jones sealed the outcome.






































































































