Paris Basketball cruised to a dominant victory over Virtus Bologna (82-103) in a match with no stakes in the 33rd round of the Euroleague.
Both teams, already eliminated from the play-in race, faced off on Tuesday in Italy for the 33rd round of the Euroleague. Paris Basketball handed Virtus Bologna a small correction by winning 82-103, allowing them to move ahead in the rankings (16th). The beginning of the game was tight, with Paris taking a six-point lead (7-13) before Bologna took the lead and won the first quarter 20-19. In the second quarter, both teams traded the lead back and forth on the scoreboard, but starting from 33-34 (15th minute), the French champions took control and never looked back.
The lead extended to +27 as they gradually widened the gap to +8 (43-51) and eventually +6 at halftime (47-53). In the second half, Virtus managed to equalize at 54-54, then 58-58, but Paris finished strong in the third quarter with a 12-3 run, including two long-range shots from Justin Robinson and Yakuba Ouattara (63-76, 30th minute). The victory was sealed in the final quarter with ease. The Parisians unleashed a 16-0 run (including two 3-pointers from Sebastian Herrera) at the beginning of the last quarter, putting them in control. The lead eventually climbed to +27 before the French champions eased off towards the end to win by 21 points.
Nadir Hifi finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, while three of his teammates ended with 14 points each (Robinson, Ouattara, Herrera). With a 45% three-point shooting percentage compared to 24% for the Italians, Paris made the difference in this area. There are four games left to finish as high as possible in the standings. Next up is Milan (13th) this Thursday at the Adidas Arena.
Paris scorers: Hifi (20), Cavalière (4), Robinson (14), Herrera (14), Rhoden (5), Ayayi (3), Faye (4), Shahrvin (4), Morgan (6), Ouattara (14), Hommes (9), Willis (3)
