Paris by KO

Published on February 26, 2026

Because on Thursday evening, Paris Basketball held its own against T.J. Shorts’ Panathinaikos in the 29th round of the EuroLeague (104-99) !

Things got serious right from the start for Paris! Continuing their recent form, our players got off to a flying start with two big shots from the parking lot, followed by a smooth and-one from Jared. Up front, Paris Basketball was unplayable! The EuroLeague’s fourth-best defense finds no answer to the particularly accurate Parisians. In addition to losing very few balls, the latter are showing off their full offensive range, both behind the arc and in the paint. Not to mention an X factor named Léo Cavalière, who decides to transform himself into an elite catch-and-shoot player in the first quarter. On the other side, the Greeks deployed a fairly rudimentary strategy: relentless pounding under the basket. Kenneth Faried’s eight minutes on the court corresponded to Pana’s strongest period. It worked for a while, but it wasn’t enough given the level of play displayed by their opponents that evening. Our team is more complete, with Allan and Momo doing a tremendous job in the middle of an army of hands, Nadir as magical as ever, and JMO making us jump off the couch with his 3-pointers… In short, at halftime, Paris was in the lead, and by a wide margin (58-45) !

The home team came back with renewed determination in the second half. In his first game since leaving the Suns, Nigel Hayes led the way for his teammates. Panathinaikos faltered, but so did Paris Basketball. That’s the problem for PAO! When our legend T.J. Shorts sank a floater that only he knows how to do, our Parisians were able to sink four consecutive long shots from all corners of the court. Including the special Nadir from the logo. During the first seven minutes of the third quarter, an intensity worthy of a playoff Game 5 takes hold of the Telekom Center Athens. Everything goes haywire: transitions, runs, shots… EVERYTHING! Then, thanks to a masterfully managed end to the quarter, Paris starts the final quarter with a comfortable lead (80-70). At the end of the game, Francesco Tabellini’s men let the Greeks have the ball a little more in order to punish them further on fast breaks. It was a move that paid off, adding a new weapon to Paris’s mojo. Especially since, defensively, they took it to the next level.

Nigel Hayes—MVP of the 2025 Final Four—forced overtime for Pana! At least, until Justin sealed the deal with yet another shot out of nowhere, coupled with a crucial defensive stop (104-99). After Barcelona, Paris has now won its second consecutive EuroLeague game on the home court of a favorite for the title. And in style !

Paris Basketball’s return to the adidas arena is fast approaching. Don’t miss out on the last few tickets available for our game against Olympiacos on the 10th by clicking right here !