Joventut Badalona with a big win against Valencia Basket
Joventut Badalona won a crucial game for their playoff hunt against Valencia Basket in the Palau Municipal D’Esports in a game that counted for Round 19 of the 2025-26 ACB League regular season.
Joventut had a strong start to the game, leading by 10 points in the 1st quarter (24-14), but it was the biggest difference in the whole game as Valencia quickly balanced the game and neither team had a double-digit lead. Joventut won in the end by three points, 90-87.
Cameron Hunt finished as the top scorer of the game with 16 points. He was followed by Ricky Rubio, who had 15 points and 9 assists, while Michael Ruzic (11 points and 11 rebounds) and Ante Tomic (10 points and 8 rebounds) also had some very solid performances for the winning team. On the other side, Jean Montero with 15 points, Nate Reuvers with 14 points and Kameron Taylor with 12 points and 6 assists were the best performers for the losing side.
It was a huge win for Joventut, who now has an 11-8 record, which keeps them in the Top 8 (they are tied with Tenerife and Bilbao). Meanwhile, Valencia has 11-5 in the standings and is still in 2nd place after Real Madrid and one win ahead of Barcelona, Murcia and Unicaja.
It was also a preview for the Copa del Rey, where the two teams will meet again on the 19th of February.
Until then, Joventut will play in France against Chalon in the Basketball Champions League. Daniel Miret’s team has a perfect 3-0 in Group K in the BCL and is very close to the quarterfinals. In the previous game against Chalon, the Catalans won 107-75. In the ACB League, Joventut will travel to Zaragoza to play another very important game on Saturday.
Valencia will have a home game in the EuroLeague on Thursday against Lyon, where the ‘’taronja’’ are clear favourites. In the ACB, they will travel to Andorra, where they are also huge favourites against MoraBanc Andorra.
Imre Halasz
Photo: Joventut Badalona
