Revisitalized Valencia (8-6) is gunning for a fourth straight victory but it won't be easy against visiting Partizan (8-6), which has surged into a share of fourth place – alongside Valencia, among others – by winning four in a row.
Zach LeDay, Partizan: 'An extremely demanding game at a physical level'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 15 of 34
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
6772
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
Overview
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Valencia exhibited outstanding defense to claim a 56-63 victory at Olympiacos last week and now needs to do the same against prolific Partizan, which boasts the league's second-best offense with 87.6 points per game. The Serbian team has been boosted by the return of Kevin Punter, who is averaging 22 points and 3.3 triples in the last three games. Valencia has also welcomed back a key backcourt figure, with Martin Hermannsson making his first appearance of the season in the win at Olympiacos.
Alex Mumbru, Valencia head coach
"Third game in six days starting a tough week for us. We start against a demanding team and we will have to play solid defense, because they have great offense, the most efficient one in the league. They score a lot and they feature loads of talent in all positions. They gained power with the arrival of Caboclo inside. We know we play at home, and that's important for us. We will need that support and we'll see if we can make a solid games. Partizan is in a good moment, they won four games and they are playing better and better. Zeljko's teams always go from less to more, and we know this game will be difficult."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan head coach
"We went to the players with information about Valencia, which plays great defense. They have a specific way of taking and defending the ball. We tried to explain it to the players, working five on five, with shooting first and foremost. Andjusic did not practice yesterday, but he travelled. Uros Trifunovic and Aleksa Avramovic remained in Belgrade. On the other hand, Kaminsky has been practising, so we'll see how he looks come game time."
Victor Claver, Valencia player
"We know it will be a demanding games, one more in the EuroLeague. We come from a good game in Greece and I am sure that will give us confidence for this week. We have to win all these games at home. We know it will be a long, tough game against Partizan and we trust we will be able to come out on top."
Zach LeDay, Partizan player
"It will be an extremely demanding game at a physical level. Last season is a story in itself, the current one is something else. We go there and we know what we have to do. We have been on long trips before, now we have some players coming back, which is good for our team because we need players in the rotation. We will again be able to see where we are in relation to other teams."