Paris end their pre-season with a narrow defeat

At home, the London Lions strike first! Paris Basketball didn’t score their first basket until four minutes into the game. That didn’t mean the home side were running away with the score, though. Even though they were scoring more points, this tentative opening period was fairly low on baskets. As the English side attempted a string of contested long-range shots, our Parisians didn’t hesitate to put their shoulders in to draw fouls. And every now and then, there was a well-timed alley-oop towards Maozinha! As the pace gradually picks up, the defences are leaving a little more room for fast breaks or pockets of space. Most of our attacking moves, however, end at the free-throw line. But this isn’t proving enough against the opposition’s efforts (13–22). Our team continued to capitalise on London’s lack of discipline to claw their way back at the start of the second quarter. Constantly in foul trouble after just a handful of possessions, our opponents were nonetheless clinical with the ball in hand. A veritable game of ping-pong, with both sides trading free throws, was in full swing! The inability to take control of the game due to the constant whistle-blowing makes the comeback a tricky task. There’s no burst of energy, no momentum building on the court at the Copper Box Arena. This strong spell for Paris, capped by a three-pointer from Tyson Etienne late in the first half, allows us to close the gap to within three possessions (36–43).