Valencia Basket backed up its title-contender status with a dominant 102-84 home win over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Thursday at Roig Arena. The victory lifted Valencia to 24-13 and secured home-court advantage in the EuroLeague playoffs.
The Spanish side controlled the game with balance, pace and physicality, then broke it open with a 22-10 run spanning the final two quarters. Valencia improved to 16-3 at Roig Arena, where its depth and shot-making have made it one of the toughest home teams in the competition.
Jean Montero led the charge with 22 points and seven assists, while Nate Reuvers added 16 points and Brancou Badio scored 14. Valencia spread the offense across the roster, with 10 players scoring, 11 players grabbing at least one rebound and 10 players recording at least one assist.
Valencia’s efficiency was the difference. The team shot 68.8 percent on two-pointers, hit 14 threes and turned 14 offensive rebounds into 31 second-chance points, making every missed defensive rotation by Panathinaikos expensive.
Valencia remains in contention for the top overall seed and closes the regular season with a road game against Dubai Basketball on April 17.
Panathinaikos entered the night having won five of its previous six, including a 14-point road win at FC Barcelona. Valencia still overwhelmed the Greek club’s tempo and shot selection, holding it to 84 points despite 19 from Nigel Hayes-Davis and 16 from Cedi Osman.
Panathinaikos fell to 21-16 and remains outside the top six, though it has already secured at least a play-in spot. The Athens club finishes the regular season at home against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on April 17.
