Valencia overcomes Hapoel in thrilling overtime, Neal Sako delivers off the bench

After a four-point first half, Jean Montero changed the temperature of the game. The 22-year-old steadily ratcheted up the pressure after the break, scoring 25 points in the second half and overtime combined, then delivering 10 of Valencia’s 16 points in the extra period. Possession by possession, he tilted the floor and carried Valencia Basket to a 104–99 road win.

Jean MONTERO

29

PTS

4

REB

8

PDE

HAP

99 104

VAL

Montero wasn’t just scoring—he was controlling pace, angles, and outcomes. He finished with 29 points, eight assists and a towering 38 efficiency rating in 33 minutes, a line that captured both the volume and the leverage of his impact. When Valencia needed a bucket, he found one. When it needed order, he provided it.

But this comeback doesn’t happen without the work done in the margins. Neal Sako was vital in that regard. In just 16 minutes, he logged eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, eight rebounds and two steals—quiet numbers that mattered every time the game threatened to slip away. His presence around the rim stabilized a defense under constant stress and bought Valencia time during offensive droughts.

Hemos pensado… ¿Cómo os damos las buenas noches?

Pues fácil, con los highlights de @jeanmontero03 en el partido en el que ha hecho su mejor anotación en la @EuroLeague con 29 puntos.

Y no nos olvidamos de Nate Reuvers, ¿eh?. Pero, hoy no… MAAAAÑÑÑÑANA!!

Bona nit 🧡 pic.twitter.com/tfPnt6xYmD

— Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) February 5, 2026

Valencia also got timely contributions elsewhere. Nathan Reuvers poured in 20 points as a reliable secondary option, Darius Thompson drilled the momentum-shifting three late, and Kameron Taylor delivered a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) that kept possessions alive when they mattered most.

Neal SAKO

8

PTS

8

REB

0

PDE

HAP

99 104

VAL

Coming off three straight road losses, Valencia showed real resolve. The win lifts them to 17–10 and into second place, edging ahead of their Israeli opponent (16–10) in an increasingly compressed EuroLeague race—one where nights like this tend to linger well beyond the final score.