The French side has now won six straight games in the EuroLeague
Unstoppable Paris rolls over Barcelona, 87-103
Red-hot Paris Basketball claimed its sixth straight victory in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by becoming the first visiting team to win at Palau Blaugrana this season, shocking FC Barcelona 87-103 on Friday night. The two teams are now level with a 7-3 record, one win short of first place.
Paris made an explosive start and roared into a double-digit advantage before the end of the first quarter, but a three-point barrage brought Barcelona back to a narrow halftime lead, 48-45. It stayed close until Paris accelerated away in the fourth, setting up a famous road win after scoring 58 points in the second half.
The unstoppable TJ Shorts was again decisive with 24 points and 9 assists, while backcourt teammate Maodo Lo added 20 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, Nadir Hifi scored 15 and Tyson Ward paired 13 points with 7 rebounds. Jabari Parker led Barcelona with 19 points, while Juan Nunez had a personal-best 15. Joel Parra and Willy Hernangomez both scored 12 in a losing cause.
Game Videos
A fast-paced start saw Kevarrius Hayes score consecutive baskets as Paris flew into a 4-10 lead after 3 minutes. Tomas Satoransky’s fierce slam brought Barcelona closer, and Parra’s deep three followed by Nunez’s fast-break layup made it 13-14. Free throws and Collin Malcolm’s smooth layup pulled Paris clear, 13-20. Lo’s driving score and Hifi’s transition triple kept the guest moving, and Shorts added a pair of mid-range jumpers for an 18-31 lead after 10 minutes.
Ward’s layup completed a 0-8 run, which was snapped by Alex Abrines’s three-pointer. Kevin Punter added a jumper and Satoransky scored inside as Barcelona fought back to 25-33, and Parker netted a triple as the temperature rose. Lo’s layup was bettered by another Parker triple, making it 31-37. Abrines struck identical corner threes to tie it up, and Parker’s free throws gave Barcelona its first lead. Ward snapped the 11-0 run with a layup, before close-range finishes from Parra and Nunez made it 48-45 at the interval.
Nunez scored twice early in the third quarter as Barcelona claimed its highest lead, 56-48, before Malcolm’s floater pulled Paris back. Nunez stayed hot with another inside bucket but Shorts hit a triple, which was matched by Parra for a 62-55 lead. Hifi’s layup and Leopold Cavaliere’s dunk made it closer, and Hernangomez’s three-point play was bettered by Lo’s consecutive triples for a 65-69 Paris lead. Hernangomez scored two more tough buckets before Ward responded with a layup, and it was 70-73 at the end of the third.
Parker and Ward traded triples at the start of the fourth, before Shorts netted another mid-range strike and Yakuba Ouattara followed a triple with a layup for a 77-83 lead. Lo’s layup and Hifi’s triple gave Paris a double-digit lead, before Abrines snapped the 0-7 run off the glass and Parker threw down a dunk. But Shorts continued his mid-range clinic and Mo added another triple, making it 81-93 with 3 minutes left. Lo’s fourth three-ball left the outcome in no doubt, and the inevitable Shorts took his team’s tally into treble figures from the foul line.