ASVEL Edge Paris in the Last Minute

ASVEL, the club from Villeurbanne next to Lyon, beat Paris Basketball 98⁠–⁠96 at the Adidas Arena in Paris on Wednesday, 7 October, in the EuroLeague, the top competition for European men's club basketball. The game started at 20:45 CEST, which is 2:45 p.m. ET, and opened the competition's fourth round in front of 6,628 people (EuroLeague box score and game header).

It was a French derby, a game between two clubs from the same country, and it was decided only in the final seconds. Paris led 95⁠–⁠91 with 2 minutes 43 seconds left, but ASVEL scored seven of the last eight points (EuroLeague play-by-play). Paris scored only one point in that stretch, a free throw by Hifi (TalkBasket; EuroLeague play-by-play).

The deciding moment came with under a minute to play. Paris were ahead 96⁠–⁠95 when Hifi lost the ball and Tremont Waters stole it. Waters scored right away to put ASVEL ahead for good at 97⁠–⁠96 with 49 seconds left (EuroLeague play-by-play). Joel Bolomboy then made one of two free throws with 12 seconds to go, after grabbing the rebound of a missed ASVEL shot. That left Paris one last chance, two points behind. Hifi took it with a long step-back shot, stepping away from his defender before shooting from behind the three-point line, and the ball rolled around the rim and out as time ran out (BasketEurope; EuroLeague play-by-play).

For most of the night Paris looked like the stronger side. They won the first quarter 21⁠–⁠14 as ASVEL lost the ball nine times in those first ten minutes, and they led by 10 points in the second quarter (EuroLeague play-by-play). ASVEL went ahead for the first time only shortly before half-time and led 46⁠–⁠43 at the break (BasketEurope; EuroLeague box score). Paris took the lead back in the third quarter, when Tyson Etienne scored 17 points, four of them three-point shots (BasketEurope; EuroLeague play-by-play). Joel Ayayi ended the quarter with a three-pointer from far out as the buzzer sounded, making it 77⁠–⁠74 to Paris (BasketEurope; EuroLeague box score).

The fourth quarter belonged to Waters. Paris pulled ahead 82⁠–⁠77 early in the quarter, and Waters scored eight points in about three minutes, two three-pointers and two free throws, to keep ASVEL close. Paris still led 87⁠–⁠82 with just under seven minutes left, but the score was level at 91⁠–⁠91 with four and a half minutes to go (BasketEurope; EuroLeague play-by-play).

Hifi finished with 30 points for Paris, the most he has scored in a EuroLeague game (Paris Basketball; Eurohoops). Etienne, in his first EuroLeague season, scored 27 (EuroLeague box score; TalkBasket). They were the only Paris players to reach double figures, meaning 10 points or more (Basketball Sphere).

ASVEL spread the scoring around. Five players reached double figures: Patty Mills with 21, Waters with 19, Both Gach with 17, Hugo Besson with 16 and Jae Crowder with 11 (EuroLeague box score). Waters did not miss any of his six shots from the field, meaning every shot other than free throws, and four of them were three-pointers (EuroLeague box score). ASVEL made 14 of their 27 three-point attempts, while Paris made 15 of 38; together the two teams made 29 three-pointers (EuroLeague box score; Eurohoops).

ASVEL won despite losing the ball 19 times, a turnover being any possession lost without a shot. They made up for it with passing, recording 26 assists, passes that lead directly to a basket, to Paris's 16 (EuroLeague box score). ASVEL are coached by Tony Parker, and this was his first EuroLeague French derby as the club's head coach (TalkBasket; EuroLeague box score).

Both clubs had one win and two losses before the game. After four rounds ASVEL have two wins and two losses, and Paris one win and three losses (EuroLeague standings and box score; TalkBasket). The rest of the fourth round is played on Thursday and Friday (EuroLeague schedule).

ASVEL host Red Star Belgrade in Villeurbanne on Tuesday, 13 October, at 20:00 CEST, which is 2 p.m. ET. Paris are at home to Virtus Bologna on Wednesday, 14 October, at 20:45 CEST, which is 2:45 p.m. ET (EuroLeague schedule).

What a reader can take from Wednesday in Paris is that a game is not won until the last shot. Paris led for most of the night and had the ball with a chance to win, but one lost ball and one missed shot in the final minute decided it for ASVEL.