Match Preview
Despite having a brand-new roster, Valencia are still playing at a very high level and have won the majority of their EuroLeague clashes. Can Mirotic, TJ Shorts and co justify their status as favorites against Maccabi, who are off to a disappointing start?
Valencia Making an Impressive Start
Despite significant roster changes, Valencia have made a strong start to the new EuroLeague season. They began with a narrow 96-94 road victory against Besiktas before crushing Baskonia 111-88 in front of their home crowd.
ASVEL could not contain the Oranges in the third round, as the Spanish side claimed a commanding 105-92 victory in France. Veteran and former MVP Nikola Mirotic dominated with 22 points, and Valencia made it four wins in a row last week by taking down Hapoel Tel Aviv, with five players scoring 10+ points.
Valencia held a massive 28-point lead against Olympiakos on Tuesday, and everyone thought it would be an easy win for the Spanish side. However, they learned a hard lesson about underestimating the champions, eventually losing 102-97 in overtime.
Maccabi Struggling in the New Campaign
Maccabi currently hold a disappointing 1-4 record, having started the new season with an 84-74 defeat to ASVEL in France, followed by a disastrous defensive display against Besiktas in the second round, losing 109-93.
In the third round, Maccabi Tel Aviv stood no chance against red-hot Panathinaikos, losing 90-67 in Athens, where they shot just 39% from the field. Veteran Roman Sorkin delivered a solid performance with 13 points on 5/9 shooting.
Their losing streak finally came to an end last week with a 97-79 win over Milano, but Maccabi failed to build on that result and lost 90-87 to Barcelona on Tuesday, when Justin Robinson hit a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left on the clock.