Match Preview
Two former EuroLeague MVPs, Nikola Mirotic and Vasilije Micic, are going head-to-head tonight in an exciting showdown in Valencia. The Oranges are off to a perfect start, while Hapoel recovered from an initial loss in Sofia.
Valencia Making a Perfect Start
Even though their roster changed drastically earlier this summer, Valencia are having an amazing start to the new EuroLeague campaign, winning all three games so far.
They were victorious in the first round against Besiktas 96-94 in Turkey last week (TJ Shorts had an amazing performance with 26 points), while also beating Baskonia 111-88 in the second game last Tuesday.
The Oranges made it three in a row last Friday by taking down ASVEL 105-92 in France, even though they were behind by 11 points at the break. Veteran and former MVP Nikola Mirotic delivered an outstanding performance here with 22 points, followed by TJ Shorts, who had 17.
Hapoel Tel Aviv Showing Character
Hapoel Tel Aviv had a tough start to the new EuroLeague season, losing to underdogs Bayern Munich 86-84 in the opening round despite being tagged as favorites on a neutral court in Sofia. Daniel Oturu's 20 points and 12 rebounds kept them in the game for three quarters, but it ultimately wasn't enough.
They returned to winning ways last Tuesday by taking down Crvena Zvezda 81-80 in Belgrade, leading for the entire match. Vasilije Micic landed two crucial three-pointers, while Elijah Bryant was the top performer with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The biggest test so far was against Real Madrid a couple of days later, but Dimitris Itoudis' side showed character and took down the Spanish giants 102-98. Elijah Bryant and Micic scored 22 points each.