Valencia 56-63: A disappointing and disappointing night in the SEF ahead of Devil’s Week

Olympiacos laughed at home on Friday night (12/15), after losing 56-63 to Valencia in the 14th match of the Euroleague. The Piraeus team was poor, the absence of Alec Peters (who was at his partner’s side when their child was born) was not covered internally and Giorgos Bartzokas will try to ‘recover’ in the Devil’s Week following away matches against Virtus Bologna. And Felerban.

With a score of 7-7, the Piraeus team (5-4 at home and 2-3 away) lost to the four Spanish teams in the competition at home, while a year ago it had won against the four teams in Spain. With a percentage of 42% on two-pointers, 29% on three-pointers, and 56% on shots, and providing 15 assists while committing 15 fouls, Olympiacos could not have asked for anything more in those 40 minutes, especially since its top scorers were Thomas Walkup and Kostas Papanikolaou. (1/8), two players do not have this role.

At 8-6 Valencia (5-2 at home and 3-4 away), which continues with the aim of reaching at least the top ten in the Play-In and if possible also the top six and direct qualification to the Play-offs. The competition. Alex Moubru hit a low three-point percentage and had 11 assists against 17 turnovers, but he also saw big shots, as an experienced 50-58 Victor Claver settled it all down. All this while not having its best player, Simi Ojeleji…

Ο Best player

Stevan Jovic, judging by his image in recent years and due to the serious injuries he has suffered, does not seem like a player capable of standing at the highest level in the Euroleague. However, in SEF, he was Valencia’s top scorer and the one who laid the foundations for victory. 12 points in 19 minutes, from 4/4 two-pointers, 1/3 three-pointers, 1/1 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal, constituted 16 points in the classification system.

The weak link

Who should be singled out on a night like this? Papanicolaou who got 1/8 of two points? Kanaan, who was well below his standards this year and had four fouls? Brazdeikis or Petrusev who were negative in their limited time? Milutinov who did not help? Sikma, who was on another court, or McKissick, who instead of playing vertical basketball, shoots from long range? A very bad night and the responsibility falls on almost all the Olympiacos players.

The statistics that stood out

Olympiacos ended the first half with six fouls, and Valencia with two assists. In the first half, points due to surprise (2-7) and points from opponent errors (2-9) made things worse for Berrios. At the end of the night, the Spaniards won with a score of 5/19 three-pointers and 11 assists against 17 fouls. This says everything about the home team’s image. 9-7 points for surprise, 14-12 points for opponent fouls, 8-4 points for offensive rebounds. Four few for Valencia, who renewed 11 attacks.

Race

With Sikmás on four, Olympiacos opened the match, going on a 12-0 run to hold Valencia to 1/7 shots in the first time-out (12-5 in the fifth minute). Petrusev went to the floor with 3:35 left in the period, but his team’s six turnovers in the quarter (!) kept them from scoring.

Bartzokas started the second goal with Larentzakis-McKissick, keeping Petrusev in the game, but his side had no rhythm going forward. He scored a point in three minutes (16-20 in 13 minutes), found himself in an unpleasant role as a catcher and closed the first part at -9 because he could not find a perimeter shot, his creation did not do, and he did not have good returns either. In the final stretch, in fact, Sikma stole the ball and made a sudden move with his back to the basket, grabbing an offensive rebound and another good pass, but Brazdeikis and Larentzakis’ shots found iron.

The picture of the match did not change at the beginning of the second half. Vale was trying to catch missed shots from his teammates, who were finding the iron even under the basket, and as a result Valencia maintained a good margin (31-43 in the 26th minute) and continued like this until the end of the third period. a period. People were upset not because they saw a foul, but because they saw even putts going into the iron, and yet there was still time. There was hope even at 38-47 in the 30th minute.

In the 31st minute, Lorentzakis was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct and Inglis hit shots to make it 38-49, but as bad as Olympiacos were, so was Valencia who couldn’t stay away for much longer. Canaan and Wakab each hit a 3-pointer to take a 48-53 lead in the 37th minute, but an offensive error by Kanan and a 3-pointer by Claver (50-58) decided the game.

Rulers: Radovic, Pisang, Silva

Contracts: 15-14, 26-35, 38-47, 56-63

Olympic (Bartzukas): Walking 13 (2/2 3-pointers, 3/7 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals), Williams-Goss, Cannan 8 (2/6 3-pointers, 2 assists, 4 turnovers) Larentzakis 3 (1/6 3-pointers), Valo 7 (3/3 2-pointers, 1/4 3-pointers, 7 rebounds), Papanicolaou 11 (1/8 2-pointers, 3/6 3-pointers, 4). Rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals), Brazdeikis 4, Petrusev, Milutinov 6 (2/4 shots, 2/4 shots), Sikma 1, McKissic 3 (0/3 shots, 3/4 shots).

Valentia (Mobro): Claver 5 (1), Puerto 5 (1), Rivers 4 (Shooting 2/7), Brady, Jones 12 (6/10 2 shots, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers), Ingles 10 (2 ) Jovic 12 (4/4 2-pointers, 1/3 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), Toure 2, Hermansson 4, Robertson 3 (0/3 3-pointers, 3/3 shots), Davis 6 (3/8 2 shots, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 fouls)

Olympiacos team statistics: 10/24 2-pointers, 9/31 3-pointers, 9/16 shots, 30 rebounds (20 defensive – 10 offensive), 15 assists, 10 steals, 1 block, 15 turnovers, 12 fouls

Valencia team statistics: 21/38 2-pointers, 5/19 3-pointers, 6/6 steals, 38 rebounds (27 defensive – 11 offensive), 11 assists, 8 steals, 2 blocks, 17 turnovers, 20 fouls

Next matches for both teams: In the following Devil’s Week, Olympiacos will play first in Bologna against Virtus (19/12 at 21:30) and then in Lyon against Villerbane (22/12 at 20:45), while Valencia will first welcome Partizan (19/12). at 22:00) and immediately after Virtus Bologna (12/21 at 21:30).