The backcourt duo combined for 50 points in the home win against the Basque side
Paris's Nadir Hifi, Justin Robinson were too much for Baskonia
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 4 of 38
Regular Season
Paris BasketballPBB
10587
Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizBKN
Overview
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Paris Basketball arrived in the EuroLeague a year ago and since then, its frenetic style of play has caused headaches for many coaches in the competition. Despite the departure of head coach Tiago Splitter and the rebuilding the team underwent after losing its backbone last summer, Paris has returned as strong as ever this term, boasting the offensive talent many teams would be jealous of. And at the center of this Paris 2.0 sit two guards who have what it takes to make the difference game in, game out.
Nadir Hifi and Justin Robinson combined for 50 points, nearly half of their team’s tally, as Paris defeated Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 105-87 on Wednesday night. More importantly, what made them so tough to contain is the fact that one gives his place to the other, with one of the two always being on the floor throughout the 40 minutes.
Coming into the game as the league’s top scorer with 21.3 points per game, Hifi had a slow start to the duel, going scoreless before giving the mantle to Robinson. The latter came off the bench to score 5 straight points before being subbed off for Hifi midway through the first quarter. The French guard rediscovered his spark, netting 8 points including three straight midrange jumpers, as Paris secured a 30-21 lead after 10 minutes.
Hifi became the first player to take his tally to double digits by scoring a bucket 2 and a half minutes into the second quarter. He headed to the bench, as Robinson returned to the floor and nailed back-to-back triples, with Paris leading 51-47 at halftime. The two guards bagged 8 points apiece in the third, as Paris took a 79-71 cushion into the closing quarter.
An unlucky Baskonia saw both Markus Howard and Trent Forrest miss the second half due to injuries, but stayed closed and threatened with a final comeback push. Yet, Paris went on a 10-2 surge halfway through the fourth, with Robinson opening the run from inside and Hifi drilling two straight triples for a 95-81 lead.
“That was a great run,” Hifi told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Everybody was involved and this is the most important thing for us. To get everybody involved and be confident. This is our strength.”
Having shot 8-for-9 from inside the rainbow, Hifi ended the encounter on 29 points, this being the fourth game in a row where he scored more than 20. He also recorded 5 assists, but more importantly, he contributed on defense with 4 steals – 3 of which came in the last quarter.
“Nadir started from the defense in the last 5 minutes of the game, when he stepped up defensively, and then, as a consequence, he made the baskets that closed the game,” head coach Francesco Tabellini told EuroLeague TV. “That’s for us the way and that’s the target: being consistent from that standpoint.”
It should be noted that Hifi currently leads the EuroLeague by averaging over 3 steals per game, earning his boss's praise after inspiring Paris to the win over Baskonia.
“Nadir, before breaking the game offensively with the 2 triples, he had already stepped up defensively and that’s something that is very important for a player that is learning to be a leader in a team,” Tabellini added in the post-game press conference. “Nadir has the chance to be an unbelievable player just because he’s combining the talent that everybody sees with an on-ball attitude. He keeps his feet grounded.”
Having won three straight games, Paris is set to host Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in its bid to extend its home streak to three victories, which is what matters most to Robinson, who finished the game on 21 points.
“This league is hard to come by a win,” he noted after the game. “So as many as you can get, no matter how you get them, it’s great. So I think that the more we chip away at it, double week, single week, you’ve got to play hard and get the win no matter what.”
And as Paris’s guard duo already proved on Wednesday, they boast both the firepower and defensive impulse to help their team end this second double-round week of the season in style.
