The EuroLeague debutant celebrated its eighth successive win thanks to a gritty performance
Unstoppable Paris rolls on with 81-78 win over Virtus
Paris Basketball stretched its winning streak in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to eight games after overcoming a slow start to beat visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna 81-78 and improve to 9-3 in the premier club competition.
TJ Shorts again paced Paris with 19 points and 9 assists, Maodo Lo scored 15 points while Nadir Hifi added 11, propelling the home team in a vibrant atmosphere. At the other end, Will Clyburn led Virtus with a game-high 25 points but only 5 of them came in the second half. Isaia Cordinier netted 16 points for the visitors, who dropped to 2-10.
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Virtus made a fast and furious start as it raced into a 2-13 lead, with Clyburn shooting the lights out from all over. However, Paris then beefed up its defense and closed in to 21-24 at the end of the first quarter, although Clyburn finished the opening period on 15 points.
The American forward showed no signs of slowing down as he mixed layups with long-range shots, but lack of support on offense coupled with a 12-0 run engineered by Paris turned the tide for good as it gave the hosts a 40-33 lead late in the second quarter.
Paris extended its advantage to 55-44 early in the third as Virtus struggled with Clyburn running out of steam, while the rest of the crew missed a flurry of open shots, which allowed the home team to head into the final 10 minutes 68-61 ahead. Center Ante Zizic kept Virtus afloat with 9 quickfire points in the third period, but Shorts and Lo pierced through the visiting team’s defense with dazzling ball control, which facilitated an avalanche of assists and layups at the other end.
It seemed Virtus was out for the count when Paris raced away into its biggest lead of the night midway through the fourth, 77-63, but the home team’s offense then came to a screeching halt while Virtus gathered momentum and went on a 0-12 run.
Shorts sank a crucial mid-range jumper to make it 80-75 and after Marco Belinelli hit a triple at the other end, Hifi split free throws to keep Paris ahead, 81-78. Belinelli missed a tough shot from the halfway line on the final buzzer, sparking loud celebrations among the home fans at Adidas Arena.