By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Milan is finally clicking and delivering and proved it once again with a 88-84 road win against Valencia.
The Italians got their 11th win and 5th straight, while Valencia dropped to 13-13 and missed a step in the playoffs race.
Shabazz Napier with 28 points remains the man who is changing the fate of Milan, while Kevin Pangos made 13 points, including some key shots in the end of the game.
“We made it a good game”, said Napier after the final buzzer. “I thought we played a better [second] half defensively; we did a great job and guys hit a lot of open shots. Credit to the guys, it was a hell of a game today. We’re coming together at the right time. I just go out there and try to do what I can do to provide for whatever is needed and get wins. We’ve got a big game on Thursday [at home to Partizan] and I am really excited about our next challenge.”
Nicolo Melli also was huge in the end finishing the night with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Chris Jones with 19 points was the top scorer of the hosts, Josep Puerto had 15 points and Jared Harper also added 15 points, but missed key opportunities down the stretch to finish a big comeback.
Thanks to a partial score 26-13 in the third period, the guests got a 10-point lead (65-55) and it proved enough until the end.
Valencia managed to make it a four-point game (72-68) but Pangos who returned to action last weekend made five straight points (77-68) to give to Milan a solid advantage again.
Valencia didn’t give up and trimmed the lead to three points again (84-81) after a three by Puerto with 26 seconds left. Nicolo Melli made one of two free throws (85-81) and Chris Jones with a three brought Valencia to one-point distance (85-84).
With 14 seconds left, Napier was fouled made one of two free throws, but Meli got the rebound and redeemed himself. Napier was fouled again, made two free throws (88-84) and the game was over.
Messina: “If we had been healthy, it would have been a different season”
For coach Ettore Messina, while his team in theory can make it the playoffs, the goal if totally different: “I am very happy because we are playing with togetherness and a very good attitude and that’s the most important thing. The only thing I’ve asked the team is to compete until the end and to show that if we had been healthy, it would have been a different season. It’s more important for us than how it’s perceived outside.”
It has to be noted that Shavon Shields also returned to action after his injury, but was scoreless in seven minutes on the court.
Speaking about the game Messina added: “The whole team competed and we had a very nice stretch in the third quarter on offense. To come here and score 88 points is not easy, and at the same time when they became much more aggressive in the fourth quarter we had a little bit of a problem in moving the ball. We had some good plays individually, but with the exception of the last 2 minutes, when we gave up those 2 threes in transition, I think we could have closed out the game earlier”.
On the other hand, Valencia lost a step in the playoffs race and coach Alex Mumbru wasn’t happy: “We started very badly at the beginning of the third quarter. We committed turnovers, made bad decisions and didn’t play defense. We conceded too many points in the third quarter.”