Paris is back to winning ways! After their three-game Euroleague winning streak was snapped by Olympiakos on Tuesday (87-104), the capital club narrowly defeated ASVEL (90-81), who remain at the bottom of the standings. The Parisians faced a scare late in the game, but Justin Robinson (23 points) carried his team in crunch time, scoring their final 10 points.
After ASVEL took an early lead (2-8, 2nd minute), Paris Basketball seemed to find their rhythm through Mouhamed Faye, perfectly assisted by Lamar Stevens under the basket (7-8, 4th minute). Despite Amath M’baye’s impressive three-pointer to tie the game (14-14, 6th minute), the Parisians’ poor shooting from beyond the arc (2/11) in the first quarter saw them fall behind again.
Initially, veteran Thomas Heurtel from ASVEL hit a corner shot, before Glynn Watson helped maintain their lead (17-23, 10th minute). Seba Herrera’s long-range buzzer-beater attempt came close but wasn’t enough to reduce the deficit.
Offenses Struggling
However, Paris intensified their defense at the start of the second quarter. In the first six minutes, ASVEL managed only one point. Yet, despite their defensive stops, Paris’s offense struggled, exemplified by Jared Rhoden, who made a great block (20-23, 12th minute) but went 0/5 from the field by halftime. Francesco Tabellini’s squad failed to capitalize on their defensive efforts.
ASVEL, seeing their opportunity, recovered once the defensive pressure eased, relying on Bastien Vautier to re-establish a two-possession lead (26-32, 17th minute). With renewed vigor, ASVEL continued to extend their advantage, orchestrated by Thomas Heurtel (6 points and 6 assists by halftime). After hitting a mid-range shot, the point guard beautifully set up David Lighty on a fast break (29-38, 19th minute).
Paris Reinvigorated After Halftime
With a nine-point deficit maintained at halftime, Paris faced a significant challenge to catch up. Fueled by an energized adidas arena crowd, the Parisians displayed flashes of brilliance, which quickly reflected on the scoreboard. A three-pointer from Lamar Stevens, set up by a superb solo effort from Jeremy Morgan, erased their temporary lag (46-46, 26th minute).
A sign of Paris’s renewed form, Nadir Hifi, who had been silent in the first half, finally got on the board (49-49, 27th minute). With their shooting touch found, Paris Basketball even took the lead in the final moments of the third quarter following back-to-back three-pointers from Sebastian Herrera and then Justin Robinson (60-53, 30th minute), who has been in excellent form recently.
This shift in momentum favored the home team, who continued to push their advantage, highlighted by Allan Dokossi’s spectacular block and subsequent finish (65-53, 32nd minute), further extending Paris’s lead.
Robinson Averts Late Scare
Despite Paris’s strong play, ASVEL mounted a late comeback with two three-pointers from Armel Traoré (80-78, 39th minute), narrowing the gap significantly. However, Justin Robinson sealed the game with two consecutive successful three-pointers (86-80, 40th minute). Paris then managed the final seconds to secure a 90-81 victory, earning their twelfth Euroleague win of the season.
