Coach Pedro Martínez’s second-half changes paved the way for Omari Moore to seal the win
Valencia’s adjustments spark thrilling finish
Rapport de match
3 Minute de lecture
Regular Season
Round 8 of 38
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
8078
Dubai BasketballDUB
Overview
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It was one of those classic EuroLeague battles — fought possession by possession, point by point. When the final buzzer sounded, Valencia Basket had edged Dubai Basketball 80–78, securing its third consecutive victory. Valencia remains unbeaten at Roig Arena in front of its fans across all competitions. Its only home loss came against Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in a closed-door match. Meanwhile, Dubai dropped to 0–5 on the road, despite showing promise at halftime under Coach Jurica Golemac.
Opponents have struggled to outpace Valencia in possessions this season, but Dubai’s strategy broke that trend. By halftime, Dubai had grabbed 8 offensive rebounds to Valencia’s 4. Although Dubai averaged 13.8 turnovers per game before this matchup, it forced Valencia into 12 first-half turnovers while committing just 7 of its own. That translated into nine extra possessions and a 41–38 lead at the break. Darius Thompson delivered one of the season’s standout moments with a poster dunk over Justin Anderson, but overall, Valencia struggled to find rhythm.
“We had too many turnovers,” Coach Martínez said at halftime. "That means shots that we don't make, and easy shots for them. I think this is making the difference. We need to improve on defensive rebounds, too."
Valencia responded after the break with sharper rebounding and better ball control. In the second half, the hosts tallied 9 offensive rebounds and just 7 turnovers, while Dubai managed 4 offensive boards and committed 9 turnovers. Valencia capitalized on those seven extra possessions, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.
Omari Moore’s fast-break layup gave Valencia a 74–73 edge and he later made jump hook and followed McKinley Wright’s turnaround jumper with a driving basket to seal the final score, 80–78, with 21.6 seconds left. The game came down to the finest margins: Valencia forced Dubai into an off-balance shot, and Bacon’s three-point attempt rattled out. Davis Bertans missed a desperation three at the buzzer.
"A lot of that credit goes to my teammates. They had a lot of trust in me down the stretch, and I was able to make a couple of plays," Moore said. "Every game we are not going to be able to make all our shots, but we stayed poised. They have a lot of talented players, so we had to lock in on defense, get a couple of stops, rebound and just keep trusting in our game. We were able to come through with the win."
Moore emerged as Valencia’s clutch-time hero, scoring the team’s last 4 points in the final 66 seconds. But before that, Valencia had to regroup at halftime, correct its earlier mistakes, and return with the right mindset. In games like this — especially at the end of a double-round week — staying competitive and giving yourself a chance to win in the final moments is crucial, as Coach Martínez emphasized post-game.
"It was a very tight game that both teams could win. I am very proud for everybody," he said. "For the players that finished the game and for the players that played maybe 2-3 minutes. They are great. They have a great mentality and I really love them."
