Return to the EuroLeague Playoffs, opening the series at Roig Arena against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 

Valencia Basket men’s team returns to the EuroLeague Playoffs more than fifteen years after its first and, until now, only appearance. And for the first time, they will do so starting at home, hosting Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (Tuesday 28th, 20:45, Roig Arena, #Vamos) in the opening game of this best-of-five series against the Greek side.

After achieving their best Regular Season in the competition and finishing in second place with 25 wins, both teams now start from scratch in a series that will mark the first experience at this stage of the tournament for the vast majority of the “taronja” roster. Only Darius Thompson (five Playoff games with Anadolu Efes) and Matt Costello (three Playoff games with Baskonia) have firsthand experience of the demands of EuroLeague knockout games.

This will be the second such experience for head coach Pedro Martínez, who reached the postseason in the 2017–18 campaign while leading Baskonia.

The game will mark Panathinaikos’ eighth visit to Valencia, with a record that favors the home side when playing on their court, though it is much more balanced overall and has no previous history in playoff matchups. The most recent meeting, played just under three weeks ago, ended in a 102–84 home victory.

Compared to that game, Valencia Basket will be able to count on Sergio De Larrea, who was absent in that Round 37 matchup. In addition, regarding last Saturday’s game, Jaime Pradilla and Omari Moore could be available to help the team despite not being fully recovered from their physical issues. The only confirmed absence is forward Xabi López-Arostegui.

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens secured their Playoff spot by defeating AS Monaco 87–79 in the first play-in game, claiming seventh place. They head into the title playoffs as the most in-form team, with seven wins in their last nine games. Since Round 31, they have also been the highest-scoring team, the most efficient offensively, and the team committing the fewest turnovers.

They come into this series with players returning to the lineup, which allowed them to win their domestic league game on Saturday by a comfortable margin while resting key players such as Kenneth Faried and Juancho Hernangómez. EuroLeague’s second-leading scorer, Kendrick Nunn, played just ten minutes in that game.

Turkish forward Cedi Osman missed that match due to back discomfort, although he is expected to be available tomorrow at Roig Arena. The confirmed absence is point guard Kostas Sloukas, who is ruled out with a left knee injury.

Rosters

REFEREES: Damir Javor, Olegs Latisevs, Milan Nedovic