Jones snacks on Panathinaikos with a three-pointer at the buzzer

Chris Jones had already left ample evidence that he is an extraordinary player. One of the best point guards who has worn the Valencia shirt for a long time. However, He needed a performance like this to get into the heart of the passionate Taronja fans. Against Maccabi he missed the final shot. And during these eight days he brooded, imagining what was going to happen in historic Oaka. Trailing 84-81, Jones decided he was going to give Valencia their 13th EuroLeague victory. He scored the last 11 points for his team, the last three, with a triple at the buzzer, after dancing to a number 2 in the draft like Derrick Williams. leftover no. sobradísimo With the last three minutes of him it was already worth giving him the MVP of the clash. But his complete statistics already put him at the level of the greats of this competition: 24 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds for 33 valuation credits. And they say that the knee is not quite right yet. Valencia, on the back of Jones, remains in a zone playoff increasingly expensive, with four teams that add 13 wins.

It cost Valencia to win. Especially for a defense, in the first part, very relaxed. And also by two players, a priori second swords of Panathinaikos, who touched, if not exceeded, their best performances in the Euroleague. Gudaitis (23 points and 10 rebounds) devoured an entire inside game that misses Dubljevic a lot. Although at the final moment, Jones had it. The other local mainstay, with a very gray Bacon, was Paris Lee. The point guard also made his scoring record (25 points) but also went home touched. Because he missed a free, with 42 seconds to go, ultimately final.

Panathinaikos came out much more plugged into the game. Valencia lacked more aggressiveness in defense against a team that was facing one of its last options to dream of fighting to get into playoff. Too focused on stopping Bacon, the taronjas allowed too many comfortable shots and second options that weighed him down a lot, in the first half. However, with a good initial rush from Jones and flashes from Webb (two triples in a row) and Alexander, who alternated hits and misses, he was staying in the game.

The extaronja Matt Thomas returned to Europe and brought together the launches of the Greeks. Two of his free kicks put the maximum local income (36-27, min. 14) in the entire game. Nor did the outside shot enter Valencia and they had to enter the battle under the rings to score. There, Pradilla and Rivero kept the taronjas at an acceptable distance given the poor performance behind. But Paris Lee struck from the outside. A Jones free kick left the score at 49-42 at halftime. It was clear that the Greek points baggage had to be reduced to try to scratch the victory in Oaka.

Valencia came out of the locker room with another face. With much more energy, Alexander and Claver, with a triple, put the taronjas within range. With one more point of aggressiveness behind, Panathinaikos’s shots were no longer so comfortable. A 2+1 from Alexander put Valencia ahead for the first time (52-53, min. 23). Matt Thomas, with two consecutive triples, warmed up Oaka again. The marker moved in short distances. Haper, three; Grigonis, three; Harper, three… The game was going to go like this until the last second.

In the last quarter, Panathinaikos hit a start, with a 5-0 run, but It was Claver’s moment, hypermotivated. Stopping the local star, Bacon, and even scoring two triples. The last of them put the maximum of Valencia in the whole duel (75-79, min. 35). Gudaitis warmed up Oaka with three more additional baskets in a row. The Lithuanian was 84-81, with three minutes to go. And there came the time Chris Jones. From there to the end, everything that Valencia scored was his work. 11 points to win the game. Three majestic entrances that lowered the smoke to Gudaitis were answered by the free of Paris Lee, another who was having the game of his life. However, the base missed a key free, with 90-89 in the electronic. Prepelic lost it to the other side and the locals almost embraced victory, with 17 seconds to go and with two free time for the sniper Thomas. But the extaronja missed one and gave Jones 17 seconds. The legs trembled in the six times European champion. The whole Oaka knew what was going to happen. Derrick Williams ate his feint and, on the buzzer, Jones hit it from three. ‘Buzzer Beater’ while he chewed his gum. And as if nothing.