Valencia Basket opened the 2026-27 EuroLeague season with a thrilling 96-94 road victory over Besiktas Istanbul on Friday, surviving a fourth-quarter comeback to spoil the Turkish club’s return to the competition after 13 years.
The result also marked the start of Xavier Albert’s tenure as Valencia head coach, with the Spanish side producing the kind of high-scoring basketball that characterized its run to last season’s Final Four under Pedro Martinez.
Valencia led 54-47 at halftime before extending its advantage in the third quarter. TJ Shorts was central to the offensive production, finishing with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Besiktas refused to let the game slip away, however. Conor Morgan caught fire from beyond the arc, making 5-of-6 three-pointers, as Besiktas erased an 81-69 deficit and took a 91-86 lead in the fourth quarter.
Valencia then went more than three minutes without scoring, but Nikola Mirotic stepped forward in a crucial stretch. The new signing scored six points in 62 seconds to help revive Valencia before Shorts put the visitors back in front.
Shorts broke a 94-94 tie with 76 seconds remaining, and Valencia managed to protect the lead through the final possession. Besiktas had a chance to force overtime, but Jaylen Nowell’s three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out.
Mirotic finished with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. His performance also moved him into fourth place on the EuroLeague’s all-time scoring list with 4,423 points, passing Kostas Sloukas’ 4,417.
Kameron Taylor added 12 points for Valencia, while Armoni Brooks, Jasiel Rivero and Neal Sako each added 10.
Besiktas had four players score at least 15 points, led by Eugene Omoruyi and Jaylen Nowell with 17 apiece. Morgan added 15, including his five three-pointers.
Valencia will return home to face Baskonia next Tuesday, while Besiktas travels to face Maccabi Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
