The Italian team threw away a 10-point lead in just over 2 minutes and then got outscored 14-2 in the home stretch.
Valencia took advantage of Milan’s second-half collapse
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3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 22 of 34
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
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EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
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EA7 Emporio Armani head coach Ettore Messina could not hide his anguish after his team fell apart in the second half of an 84-72 defeat at Valencia Basket, with the hosts overturning a 32-40 halftime deficit to chalk up what could turn out to be a priceless Round 22 regular-season win.
The Spanish side improved to 11-11 while Milan dropped to 9-13 and suffered a severe blow in its bid to make the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, prompting Messina to criticize his men after the final buzzer.
“We had an 11-point lead (early in the third quarter) and at that moment we stopped playing completely,” the trophy-laden tactician, who has four EuroLeague titles to his name, said in his post-game comments. “It became a horror festival and we have to take full responsibility because we really threw away an opportunity.”
There will be little substance for counterpoint among Milan’s players to Messina’s scathing remarks, as the visitors got ripped apart when it seemed they were firmly in the driving seat.
A disappointing finish by Milan
Having led 34-45 early in the third quarter, the visitors stretched their lead to 46-56 with 3:56 left in the period. They spilled it all in just over 2 minutes as Valencia engineered a 13-0 run and then held on for a 61-59 lead heading into the fourth.
Then, with the score tied 70-70 midway through the final period, Valencia found two extra gears while Milan, over-reliant on Shabazz Napier and Devon Hall, came to a screeching halt.
Player of the game Chris Jones, who paced Valencia alongside former Milan center Brandon Davies with 15 points apiece, credited the home team’s emphatic win on outstanding second-half defense.
“We came out in the second half and picked it up on defense, we got the stops and we got the result we wanted,” Jones commented. “I’ve got great teammates. We moved the ball very well today and got some open looks, I am just happy we got the win.”
Davies added: “We’ve got to give ourselves credit as we stepped up defensively when we needed to.”
Valencia put the clamps on Napier, Hall
Valencia’s defense after the interval was undoubtedly the key factor, as Napier and Hall got stifled out in the last 5 minutes of the game and the support cast failed to step up to the plate. Valencia also fired on all cylinders at the other end of the court, finishing the game on 11-of-26 shooting from downtown after making just 3-of-12 in the first half.
The home team won the battle in the paint, having racked up 36 boards to Milan’s 31, with Davies making life difficult for his former teammates, Kyle Hines and Johannes Voigtmann. The Milan pair amassed a combined total of 2 points and 5 rebounds between them, with Valencia forward Semi Ojeleye also doing a grand job for the hosts as he racked up 14 points and 7 boards.