Missing influential captain Bojan Dubljevic through injury, Valencia Basket must have wondered where the input was going to come from before its 82-73 home win over in-form FC Bayern Munich, which had won four of its last five games prior.
In the end, an unlikely trio led the way and some of the regulars also stepped up to give the Spanish side a club-record fifth successive win in the EuroLeague, boosting its hopes of making the playoffs.
Klemen Prepelic, who had struggled most of the season, came off the bench to post 10 points in 15:43 minutes on the court and nailed a three-pointer followed by a steal and a tough three-point play early in the fourth quarter during a 28-7 Valencia streak.
Shannon Evans, who joined Valencia from fellow Spanish League rival Real Betis a couple of weeks ago, shined on his debut in Europe’s premier club competition with 9 points and 4 assists, shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range.
Crucially, one of those shots came on the buzzer at the end of the third quarter and found its way into the bucket off the glass, giving Valencia a 61-56 lead after which the hosts never looked back.
Jonah Radebaugh provided the icing on the cake with his EuroLeague record of 14 points, coupled with 5 rebounds and as many assists. In addition, Chris Jones posted 11 points and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui added 10, underlining a smooth team effort that improved Valencia’s record to 12-10.
Radebaugh stressed blending had paid dividends for Valencia in the last month or so.
"We are starting to figure each other out a little bit more and we’re playing more as a team, not so much as individual basketball," he said. "It shows out there, that’s why we are winning games."
