Madrid miss out in an evenly matched final

Real Madrid were unable to secure victory against Valencia Basket in the 2025 Super Cup final played at the Martín Carpena in Málaga. It was a very evenly matched game, with each team winning two quarters and fine margins deciding the outcome in the Valencians' favour in the final minute. Procida and Lyles made their debuts. Hezonja was Madrid's top scorer with 19 points.
The final started at a very high scoring pace, set by Valencia Basket in the first three minutes without a single miss. A 5-10 run forced Madrid to react quickly. They did so and adjusted their defence, with Tavares and greater aggression in the passing lanes. They responded with a 12-2 run led by Hezonja and the Cape Verdean centre. Scariolo's men would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the first quarter, defending a lead of between 3 and 5 points. Krämer and Lyles took over the scoring. The American showed his quality with two plays in which he scored a basket and drew a personal foul (27-24, min. 10).
Trailing
The Taronjas, taking advantage of their speed, open play and accuracy from the three-point line, took the initiative in the second quarter. De Larrea and Reuvers put their team ahead at the start of this period. Madrid were not comfortable and the close shots that had previously gone in were now missing. Four almost consecutive three-pointers by Valencia Basket opened up a gap with the score at 36-45 in the 17th minute. Scariolo continued to make substitutions to find solutions. With Llull (5 points) and Procida (whose maiden action was a three-pointer) on the court, they managed to regain some freshness in attack, but several plays by Moore left the score at 44-51 at half-time.
Madrid reversed the momentum after the break. They were much more aggressive at the back, controlled their rebounding and were focused on defensive balance. They prevented the Taronja team from running and drastically reduced their scoring. But they were also solid in attack with important roles for Feliz, Deck and Hezonja, who took on the leadership. The Croatian, with 12 almost consecutive points, took our team to 65-58 in the 27th minute after a 21-7 run. Just when they seemed to be regaining control, Valencia Basket got back into the game to tie it at 69 at the end of the third quarter.
No luck at the end
There was no room for big runs in the final quarter, with both teams trying to take control of a game which remained evenly matched until the final stretch. Valencia Basket took a 5-point lead, coinciding with Tavares' fifth foul. Even so, the momentum and determination of Deck and Campazzo gave Madrid hope. A three-pointer from the point guard made it 92-94 with 13.2 seconds to go in a final full of stoppages due to several instant replays. Immediately afterwards, a technical foul on Feliz for stepping while trying to defend the baseline throw-in nipped the comeback in the bud. De Larrea ended up sealing the final from the free throw line (94-98, min. 40).
REAL MADRID-VALENCIA BASKET STATISTICS