By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid is the second finalist of the EuroLeague, as they defeated Valencia at the Telekom Center in Athens with a score of 102-90.
Mario Hezonja shone in this crucial match, finishing with 25 points and six rebounds, Trey Lyles scored 17, Gabriel Deck had 16, Andres Feliz added 15, and Theo Maledon ended the game with 12.
A concern for Real is the apparent serious injury suffered by Usman Garuba in the second half, who is currently the only healthy center for the Madrid team.
On the other side, Nate Reuvers was the top scorer with 15 points, as was Jean Montero, who also had 5/15 shooting from the field and eight assists, same as Jaime Pradilla. Kameron Taylor finished with 11 points.
Contrary to the first Semifinal, Real Madrid stopped Valencia in a high-scoring game, ending their dream of a first title in their first Final Four. The experience of Sergio Scariolo’s team came to the spotlight, and after gaining the lead in the second quarter, they maintained it until the end of the match.
Real led by six at halftime (62-56), increased the lead by the end of the third quarter, and entered the final ten minutes with a 13-point advantage (86-73). Valencia managed to reduce the deficit but could not bring drama into the game.
In the grand Final, scheduled for Sunday at 20:00 CET at the Telekom Sports Center, Olympiacos and Real will face off.
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