Friday’s French derby saw Pierric Poupet’s men outgun Tiago Splitter’s squad to stay strong at home
ASVEL ends Paris unbeaten run in all-French Rivalry Series thriller, 98-93
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ended the 10-game winning run of league leader Paris Basketball, taking a thrilling French derby 98-93 in Round 15’s Rivalry Series game at the Astroballe. ASVEL is now 6-9 and has won four straight at home, while Paris remains top of the standings at 11-4.
A first half featuring 13 lead changes ended with ASVEL surging into a 49-40 lead. Paris fought back after the break, and it was close until the home team pulled away in the latter stages. Theo Maledon paced ASVEL with 22 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Mbaye Ndiaye added 19 points, Neal Sako scored 14 and Nando De Colo had 12. TJ Shorts was again superb, pairing 29 points with 8 assists, while Nadir Hifi netted 20.
Game Videos
Sako scored three baskets in the opening 90 seconds to send ASVEL ahead. David Lighty added a jumper before Yakuba Ouattara replied from deep and Mikael Jantunen powered a fast-break layup to make it 8-7. Maledon and Shorts netted their first buckets, before Nadir Hifi gave Paris its first lead. Shaq Harrison, Maodo Lo and De Colo all drained triples, then Ndiaye and Lo finished well inside to keep it close at 20-19. Jantunen’s reverse layup and Shorts’s triple gave ASVEL a small lead, 22-24, at the end of the first.
Points flowed early in the second as Leo Cavaliere, Sako and Shorts scored close to the rim, while Lighty hit a triple. Sako and Shorts were again on target inside, before Bandja Sy and Maledon added three-pointers to keep it tied at 33-33. Ndiaye and Collin Malcolm also struck from deep, then De Colo followed a tough layup with a jumper and Melvin Ajinca struck from deep to make it 45-36. Shorts reignited Paris but Maledon scored 4 in a row, making it 49-40 at the break.
Kevarrius Hayes scored the first two field goals of the second half, and Tyson Ward added a put-back to make it 50-46. Hayes scored again and Shorts netted twice in a row to tie it up, 52-52. Harrison’s slam and Maledon’s flashy layup lifted ASVEL, before Hifi and Ndiaye traded mid-range buckets to make it 61-54. Hifi added a threeball but Andre Roberson answered with a dunk and Ndiaye scored again to keep the hosts moving. Another Hifi triple was met by Sako from close range. Ward scored consecutive baskets, but Roberson hit from deep to keep ASVEL ahead, 72-71, with 10 minutes left.
Ajinca opened the final period with a buzzer-beating three, but Shorts scored twice in a row to tie it up, 77-77. Joffrey Lauvergne and Ndiaye dunked but Sy hit from deep and Cavaliere’s free throws sent Paris ahead, 81-82. Ndiaye immediately answered from long range, and it was 86-82 with 3 minutes remaining. Maledon and Hifi traded triples, before De Colo also struck from deep to make it 92-85. Shorts netted twice in a hurry to make it 93-89 in the last minute. Hifi and Sy also scored inside, but ASVEL did enough from the foul line to hold on.