Cruel Ending for Paris

After a nail-biting game, our Parisians suffered their first defeat of the finals on AS Monaco’s home court (81-78). All eyes are now on Sunday (4:30 p.m.) to capitalize on our second match point.

In a Game 3 that was as electric as it was intense, our Parisians fell to AS Monaco. Yet the match had started well for our players. Led by an outstanding TJ Shorts, who scored 16 points in the first half, Paris frustrated the Monégasques with excellent outside shooting. Tyson Ward, Daulton Hommes, Mickael Jantunen, Nadir Hifi… Everyone contributed to the show. Kevarrius Hayes added his powerful dunks and defensive presence to fend off the Roca Team’s attacks. At halftime, it was only natural that we were in the lead (HT, 45-33).

But things changed after the break. Driven by a huge performance from Jaron Blossomgame (26 pts), the Monégasques gradually closed the gap. Though we had been efficient in the first half, our perimeter shooting and fast-paced play—two of our key strengths—started working against us. Still, our strong performance at the free-throw line kept us close to Spanoulis’ squad heading into the fourth quarter. What followed was a nerve-wracking final stretch. Throughout the entire quarter, both teams traded blow for blow. Neither was able to pull away. As Paris gave everything to equalize and tried to take advantage of Monaco’s missed free throws, the home team kept its cool—even though Nadir came very close to sinking an incredible three-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime. It was a bitter loss that our Parisians will have to quickly move past before heading into Game 4 with fierce determination this Sunday.

We have another chance to claim the title—nothing is over yet ! So don’t hesitate to send all your support to our players !