The final day of the Betclic Elite delivered its verdict on Saturday. While Paris Basketball dominated Lyon (87-76), Monaco was defeated by Boulazac (92-74) and relinquished their leader position to Paris before the playoffs.
The 30th day of the French championship concluded on Saturday with eight scheduled matches. Various scenarios determined the matchups for the play-in and quarter-finals of the 2025-2026 Betclic Elite. The main highlight of the evening was the distant battle between Paris and Monaco. Playing in Boulazac, Monaco looked inexperienced. With only four professional players on court, Monaco unsurprisingly lost (92-74). Despite Kyllian Michee scoring 21 points (the game’s highest), Monaco only managed to keep up for one quarter (21-21). With an 11-point deficit at halftime, the outcome was clear. On the other hand, Paris could start celebrating.
Indeed, Paris Basketball had the chance to secure the top spot as they did last year. Mission accomplished. Facing Lyon (4th), Nadir Hifi’s team emerged victorious (87-76) after being eight points down at the start of the third quarter. The Parisian point guard finished the game with 21 points and the season as the top scorer: 20.4 points on average. In the standings, Paris and Monaco tied, but Paris held the advantage with better head-to-head score: 1 win each but +23 for Paris.
Gravelines secure, Saint-Quentin in playoffs
Absolutely securing their ranking, Strasbourg was defeated at home by Chalon after going into overtime (90-91). In the play-in, Strasbourg will face Bourg-en-Bresse to vie for a spot in the quarter-finals. The loser of this clash will play a playoff against the winner between Chalon (9th) and Nancy (10th). SLUC triumphed over Saint-Quentin (84-71), who finished the season heading to the playoffs. For the team from Aisne, a tough path begins with playoffs against second-division teams. A quarter-final against Poitiers is on the horizon.
Gravelines, on the other hand, will play in their 39th season in the French basketball elite. Despite losing to Bourg-en-Bresse (95-78), the Northerners finished ahead of Saint-Quentin due to their ranking advantage (+4). Dijon was close to breaking a points record. By defeating Le Portel (80-126), already condemned, Dijon was just six points away from matching the league’s highest score (132).
BASKET / BETCLIC ELITE – PLAY-OFFS
Play-In
Wednesday, May 20
– Play-in A: Bourg (7th) – Strasbourg (8th)
– Play-in B: Chalon (9th) – Nancy (10th)
Saturday, May 23
– Play-in C: loser A – winner B
…
Quarter-finals (best of three matches)
From May 25th to 30th
– Paris (1st) – winner Play-In C (8th)
– Monaco (2nd) – winner Play-in A (7th)
– Nanterre (3rd) – Le Mans (6th)
– Asvel (4th) – Cholet (5th)
