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Valencia Neutralizes Hapoel Tel Aviv's Star Players in EuroLeague Victory
Hapoel Tel Aviv suffered a 93-82 road defeat against Valencia on Thursday, dropping their EuroLeague record to 2-2. Despite a career-high 30 points from Antonio Blakeney, who made eight three-pointers, the Israeli team could not overcome a defensive struggle that saw them fall behind by as many as 19 points.
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What happened
- 01Hapoel Tel Aviv lost 93-82 to Valencia in a EuroLeague road game on Thursday, bringing their record to 2-2.
- 02Antonio Blakeney scored a career-high 30 points, including eight three-pointers, in the losing effort for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
- 03Valencia established a 19-point lead and neutralized other key Hapoel Tel Aviv players, holding Vasilije Micic to just four points.
- 04Hapoel Tel Aviv players and coach Dimitris Itoudis criticized the officiating, pointing to a discrepancy of 22 to 17 in free throws.
- 05The victory gave Valencia a perfect 4-0 start to their EuroLeague season, matching their best start in 20 years.
- 06Hapoel Tel Aviv will play their Israeli league season opener against Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Sunday.
Valencia took control early, ending the first quarter with a 32-17 lead. Hapoel Tel Aviv fought back to narrow the gap to two points in the third quarter, but Valencia withstood the comeback to secure a victory. The win extended Valencia's perfect start to 4-0, their best EuroLeague opening in two decades, while Spanish media credited Valencia with neutralizing Hapoel Tel Aviv's other star players, including Elijah Bryant, who scored 12 points, and Vasilije Micic, who was held to four.
Following the game, Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Dimitris Itoudis and his players criticized the officiating, arguing that refereeing decisions during a key third-quarter run decided the game. The team pointed out that Valencia shot 22 free throws compared to Hapoel Tel Aviv's 17. The team will now turn its focus to its Israeli league season opener against Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Sunday.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: N12. Read N12’s originalThe coverage
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