Mario Hezonja and Dzanan Musa combined for 46 points in pivotal victory
Real gets go-ahead win against Paris, 105-104
Game Report
3 Mins read
Real Madrid qualified for the postseason by topping Paris Basketball 105-104 at Movistar Arena in Round 33 on Thursday. Real improved to 19-14 in the standings, locking up a top-10 finish at the end of the regular season. Paris dropped to 18-15 and could also qualify to the postseason at the end of this round if other results go its way.
Mario Hezonja led the winners with 26 points. Dzanan Musa added 20, Andres Feliz and Walter Tavares each scored 15 while Serge Ibaka posted 11 for Real. TJ Shorts paced Paris with 24 points and 10 assists. Nadir Hifi added 23 points, Tyson Ward had 18 and Mikael Jantunen 13.
Game Videos
Shorts got Paris going with a floater. Tavares matched it with a layup and Gabriel Deck's corner triple gave Real its first lead, 5-2. After Sebastian Herrera answered from downtown, Usman Garuba and Bandja Sy traded layups. Deck insisted from beyond the arc for a 10-7 Real lead. Ward joined the three-point shootout and Hifi bettered Deck's layup with a triple for a 12-13 Paris edge. Hezonja stepped up with 5 quick points. Collin Malcolm struck from downtown before Musa'a driving layup set a 19-16 Real edge. Hifi scored in penetration and Sy added a three-pointer in a 0-7 run that Leopold Cavaliere capped with a layup. Hezonja ignited the crowd with a reverse slam and Ibaka added a put-back basket, but Jantunen singlehandedly kept Paris ahead, 23-28, after 10 minutes.
Shorts buried a jumper and erased Feliz's off-balance basket by hitting another mid-range shot. Hezonja tried to change things with a triple, but Ward banked in a close shot and matched Musa's layup with a jump hook. Ibaka scored in the paint before Musa's three-pointer got Real within 35-36. Ward stayed hot for Paris, though Hezonja and an outstanding Ibaka helped Los Blancos to a 42-40 lead. After Hifi and Feliz traded three-pointers, Tavares added a put-back layup. Hezonja's backdoor basket boosted Real's lead to 49-43. Shorts struck from beyond the arc and Malcolm followed with a driving layup. Shorts improved on Tavares's jump hook with a triple that tied it again, 51-51. Musa scored off the baseline but Jantunen's buzzer-beating jumper fixed the halftime score at 53-53.
Shorts scored in penetration soon after the break and improved on Garuba's dunk with 3 free throws. Jantunen struck from downtown to give Paris a 55-61 lead. Tavares stepped up with a jump hook that Yakuba Ouattara improved on with a bomb from beyond the arc. Hezonja and Hifi each buried a triple and so did Musa to make it 63-67. Malcolm joined the three-point shootout, getting help from Cavaliere to boost Paris's margin to double digits, 65-75. Feliz rescued Real with a driving layup that Musa bettered with a three-pointer. Shorts took over with an acrobatic layup that Hezonja bettered with a triple in transition. Shorts answered from beyond the arc for a 74-80 Paris lead after three quarters.
Hezonja sank a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Feliz added a driving layup before Ibaka completed Real's comeback, 81-80. Musa took over with a three-point play that capped a 10-0 run. Ward dunked and Hifi erased Facu Campazzo's layup with an off-balance jumper. Hifi soon tied the game at 86-86 with a driving layup. Campazzo rescued Los Blancos with a bomb from beyond the arc, which Feliz followed with a fastbreak layup to make Paris stop the game at 89-84. Tavares dunked and made 3 free throws to cap a 10-0 run, giving Real a 96-86 lead with less than 3 minutes left. Shorts stepped up with a driving layup and Jantunen added a three-pointer before Hifi gave Paris hope at 98-93. Ward struck from downtown, but Hezonja's three-point play sealed the outcome with time to spare, as Paris only got within striking distance right at the buzzer.
