Valencia evens Finals series against Barcelona
Valencia crushed Barcelona at home to tie the Spanish ACB Finals series at 1-1 after a dominant performance.
In Game 2 of the Spanish ACB League Finals, Valencia bounced back from an overtime loss (112-113) in Game 1 by dominating Barcelona from the start, jumping to an 11-0 lead and never looking back. The win evens the series at 1-1.
Dominican guard Jean Montero led Valencia with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, while American Braxton Key added 15 points. For Barcelona, Joel Parra scored 16 points.
Regular season records saw Valencia finish second at 25-9, behind Real Madrid (26-8), while Barcelona placed fifth at 24-10. Valencia reached the finals without a loss, sweeping Bilbao (2-0) and Badalona (3-0). Barcelona overcame Murcia (2-1) in the quarterfinals and swept eighth-seeded Tenerife (3-0) in the semifinals. Tenerife had eliminated two-time defending champion Real Madrid in the previous round.
Valencia lost last year's finals 0-3 to Real Madrid and has one Spanish title, in 2017. Barcelona has 20 league titles. During the regular season, Valencia won both meetings, but Barcelona swept the Euroleague matchups.
The series now shifts to Barcelona, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday evening.
