Baskonia beats Valencia in ACB

ACB playoff seeding is getting messy at exactly the right time. Baskonia went into Valencia on May 10 and came out with an 88-86 win that mattered way beyond one result. It was a road upset, it came against one of the teams fighting near the top, and it blew open the race for home-court advantage in Spain’s Liga Endesa. The key swing came right at the end — Trent Forrest got to the rim with 6 seconds left and gave Baskonia the winner. (live.acb.com) ### Why was this game such a big deal? Because this wasn’t a random mid-table result. Valencia and Baskonia were both fighting for position near the top of the standings with only a few rounds left, and the winner had a real shot at strengthening its playoff path. Instead, Baskonia’s win dragged them level with Valencia and Barcelona at 21-9, which is exactly the kind of logjam that changes who gets home court and who gets a much nastier first-round draw. ### How did Baskonia actually win it? (live.acb.com) The game swung back and forth, but Baskonia’s edge was freshness and late execution. Valencia had control for stretches and led by 10 in the first half, while Baskonia answered with defense and timely scoring to get back level by halftime at 41-41. In the closing seconds, with the score tied at 86-86, Forrest attacked the basket and finished the decisive play. Valencia then had one last possession, but Omari Moore missed the final shot. (acb.com) ### Who were the key players? Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot was Baskonia’s top scorer with 19 points, and Eugene Omoruyi added 17. Forrest didn’t lead the box score, but he owned the biggest moment and finished with 15 points. For Valencia, the comeback push came largely from younger and secondary pieces because Pedro Martínez managed minutes heavily, with Jean Montero resting more than usual and finishing scoreless. ### Why was Valencia a little off? The short version is schedule stress. Valencia had just come through two EuroLeague games and was also staring at a decisive fifth game against Panathinaikos on the following Wednesday, so the team rotated more than usual. (live.acb.com) That showed up physically and mentally. Valencia still nearly stole it late, but the team clearly looked like a side balancing two seasons at once — domestic seeding and a live EuroLeague run. (acb.com) ### What changed in the standings? A lot, fast. Valencia’s loss dropped them behind UCAM Murcia for second place, while Baskonia joined Valencia and Barcelona on the same 21-9 record. Real Madrid stayed clear at the top despite losing to Río Breogán the same weekend, but the real drama is underneath them, where seeds 2 through 5 are now packed tightly enough that one bad night can move a team multiple slots. ### Why does home-court matter so much here? Because in the ACB, the difference between opening a playoff series at home and starting on the road is huge — especially when the middle of the bracket is this compressed. (live.acb.com) Think of it less like a ladder and more like a traffic jam. Teams are moving, but they’re moving inches, and one result can suddenly put you in a much cleaner lane. Baskonia didn’t just get a win in Valencia — they made the whole upper bracket more unstable. (acb.com) ### Does this say more about Baskonia or Valencia? Probably both. Baskonia looked opportunistic, composed, and good enough to punish a tired contender on the road. Valencia, meanwhile, looked like a team splitting attention between the league table and Europe. That’s understandable, but the catch is that Liga Endesa does not really forgive divided focus in May. ### Bottom line Baskonia’s win was small on the scoreboard and big in the standings. (acb.com) Forrest’s last basket didn’t just beat Valencia — it turned the fight for ACB playoff positioning into a three-team squeeze behind Murcia and Madrid. (acb.com) (live.acb.com)