Paris falls to FC Barcelona

In front of more than 16,000 fans at the Accor Arena, our players narrowly lost to the Catalan giant during this 19th day of EuroLeague. The focus is already on the two upcoming away games.

Under the watchful eyes of Enzo Lefort and Miss France 2025, our Parisians gave it their all, but it wasn’t enough against Barça. Despite being cheered on by a packed Accor Arena, T.J. Shorts (20 points) and his teammates never gave up. From the start, the recently crowned November MVP took charge, scoring 9 consecutive points.

Struggling from long range, Maodo Lô led the way by scoring easy baskets near the hoop to rebuild confidence. Kevarrius Hayes hustled for every rebound, and we finally found opportunities for fast breaks. Joan Peñarroya was forced to call a timeout as we breathed down the Blaugranas’ necks. Thanks to a huge buzzer-beating three-pointer by Yakuba Ouattara, Paris stayed close at halftime (36-40).

The Catalan mastery of the game

But after the break, the Barcelona players focused on the interior, exploiting their strengths to hurt us. Willy Hernangómez (23 points) and Chimezie Metu (13 points) dominated the paint with their physicality. Despite trailing heading into the final 10 minutes, the Paris Basketball team was determined not to start 2025 on a sour note.

Regaining their confidence and characteristic energy, Tiago Splitter’s men delivered an intense end to the game. With a revived three-point accuracy, the Parisians electrified the Accor Arena during the last six minutes. However, in the decisive moments, the clutch shots from Nadir Hifi (14 points) and Maodo Lô (18 points) weren’t enough, and our team fell short (79-90). Frustrating.

The focus now shifts to next week’s two away games before returning to the Accor Arena to host JL Bourg on Sunday, January 12 (7:00 PM). Get your tickets HERE !