Real Madrid Takes Lead in Athens EuroLeague Semifinal Clash

Real Madrid and Valencia are competing in the second EuroLeague semifinal in Athens. The winner will face Alexandros Vezeskou and Olympiacos in the final on Sunday. After 10 minutes, Valencia leads with 28-26.

First Half

The match began strongly with Mario Hesonya scoring two early triples, putting Real Madrid ahead 13-6. Valencia responded with a strong run, taking the lead at 15-13. The score remained close, with Trey Lyles tying it at 26-26 for Real Madrid with a corner three, but Valencia ended the first period with a two-point lead, 28-26. In the second period, Real Madrid took a 13-7 lead, extending their overall lead to 39-35. Valencia struggled to close the gap, and Real Madrid's lead grew to 9 points at 44-35. The gap soon became double digits, and a three-pointer from Trey Lyles briefly halted Valencia's attempts to catch up. Real Madrid's play continued strong, with Facundo Campazzo scoring another three-pointer, making the score 57-45. A last-second three-pointer from Jan Montero brought Valencia within six points, with the score at 62-56 after 20 minutes.

Second Half

In the third quarter, Real Madrid continued to hold a six-point lead at 70-64. Jaime Pradia managed to narrow the gap to four, but Real Madrid responded with another three-pointer from Mario Hesonya. However, Jan Montero of Valencia appeared to have suffered an injury and was substituted out.

At halftime, the legendary Olympiacos player Vasilis Spanoulis appeared in the arena and was immediately mobbed by fans of "the red and whites" for pictures and autographs.

Starting lineups for both teams were also shared, with Valencia featuring Badio, Taylor, Ruviers, Pradia, and Montero, while Real Madrid had Abalde, Campazzo, Okke, Hesonya, and Garuba.

The live statistics are available to follow the match closely.