Valencia Basket beat Panathinaikos 89-86 on Wednesday in Athens to force a fifth and final game in the playoff series, and Pedro Martinez’s team will now try to finish the job at the Roig Arena on Wednesday at 21.00 h.
Jean Montero carried Valencia with 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, finishing with a 45-credit valuation in one of the most complete performances of the night. Valencia led 26-15 after the first quarter and, after Panathinaikos drew level and moved ahead in the third quarter with a 25-9 run, the visitors found enough composure late to regain control and go up 77-86 with about a minute left.
Cedi Osman led Panathinaikos with 26 points, while Kendrick Nunn added 19 points, four rebounds and four assists. Panathinaikos scored 15, 22, 19 and 30 points by quarter, while Valencia finished with 26, 18, 16 and 29. The game was played at the OAKA, one of European basketball’s temples, and the result sent the series back to Valencia with everything still on the line.
That matters because Valencia Basket is now one win away from the first Final Four in its history. The swing in Athens was built on a strong start, a difficult middle stretch and a steady finish, but the broader truth is that the series has become exactly what the standings promised: two teams with enough firepower to trade blows until the last possession, and now only one game left to settle it.
The tension for Valencia is obvious. It handled the opening quarter, survived the third-quarter surge and still nearly let the game slip when Panathinaikos closed to 86-88 in the final minute. Martinez has the advantage of returning home with the series even, but he also knows the margin for error has disappeared; on Wednesday night, either Valencia reaches new ground or Panathinaikos keeps its season alive.
