Valencia Basket ended a 15-year wait to return to the EuroLeague Playoffs on Tuesday, beating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 102-96 at Roig Arena in Round 36.
The result, combined with losses by FC Barcelona and Zalgiris Kaunas, gave Pedro Martinez’s team exactly what it needed on a night that pushed the club back into the postseason for only the second time in its EuroLeague history.
Valencia improved to 23-13 and now sits second in the standings, a reflection of a season built on pace, balance and discipline. The win also underlined how well the roster fits Martinez’s system.
Jean Montero led the way with 25 points, while Brancou Badio added 20 and Darius Thompson scored 10. Omari Moore chipped in 16 points, and Valencia finished with six players scoring at least nine.
The home team’s offense came from ball movement as much as shot-making. Valencia recorded 24 assists against just nine turnovers and shot 61.2% on two-point attempts, which kept Milan from ever fully slowing the game down.
Kameron Taylor, who added 16 points, gave Valencia another steady two-way performance. Nate Reuvers also made his mark, while Braxton Key, Darius Thompson and Neal Sako all played roles in sustaining the pace for 40 minutes.
Milan made it a game with 96 points of its own, behind 20 from Armoni Brooks, 16 from Zach LeDay and 14 from Shavon Shields. The visitors shot 48% from three-point range, but they could not match Valencia’s consistency on the glass or in transition.
Valencia’s win carried added weight because of the club’s history. The team previously reached the EuroLeague Playoffs only once, in the 2010-11 season, and now has a chance to build on this breakthrough with home-court positioning still in play.
Martinez’s group will not have much time to celebrate. Valencia hosts Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on April 9 before traveling to Dubai Basketball in Sarajevo on April 17, while Milan welcomes FC Bayern Munich on April 9 and visits Olympiacos Piraeus on April 16.
