Paris held to a draw by Partizan

Published on September 29, 2026

Despite the unwavering support of a raucous adidas Arena right up until the final whistle, Paris Basketball suffered defeat on Matchday 2 of the EuroLeague against Partizan Belgrade (79–92).

On one side, hundreds of frenzied Serbian supporters. On the other, a Parisian wall made up of two raging fan blocks. And in the middle, a Paris Basketball side that was quite simply in a trance. For over four minutes, Partizan failed to sink a single shot. An extremely rare dry spell caused by an impenetrable defence. At the same time, when you’ve got Momo Faye in the paint with four blocks in the space of a handful of possessions, that explains it all. Instinct and good passes finished off with effortless baskets from TJ or Jared. The score soared to a clean 10–0 run, without a single miss! Joan Peñarroya had no choice but to call a time-out. Although the Serbs fought back, the capital club still held the upper hand at the end of the first quarter (18–15). Like Maxime Lefèvre’s men, Belgrade were scoring exclusively from behind the arc. Except that our players were responding blow for blow. One thing is certain: the intensity keeps rising. It’s as if the sheer madness in the stands is constantly fuelling the action on the court. As the game progresses, the fast breaks are piling up in our favour, leading to another time-out for the black-and-whites. Nevertheless, we let the end of the half slip away (40–44).

Nadir, TJ and then Frank set the tone for us after the break. With a flurry of three-pointers, Paris Basketball closed the gap on Partizan before Jared levelled the score with a fine ‘and-one’. Although the Serbs regained the lead, Tyson’s teammates remained within striking distance. The game continued to heat up with increasingly physical duels. These two teams, both boasting ultra-aggressive backcourts, are locked in a relentless battle. There’s plenty of small-ball play, culminating in sharp cuts into the paint. This results in an ever-increasing number of fouls, which Nadir, in particular, capitalises on to score points. But Belgrade once again finishes the quarter in style to reclaim their initial lead (63–67). The Serbs carried this momentum into the start of the fourth quarter. TJ responded with his surgical footwork in a crowded paint. However, this proved insufficient to match the visitors’ efficiency on the ball. Unfortunately, these flashes of brilliance were not enough to secure a victory today (79–92).

It’s rare that Paris Basketball have made such a thunderous start to a EuroLeague clash. Spurred on by thousands of supporters at the adidas arena, our Parisians were unable to hold off Partizan’s comeback over the course of the game.

Next time will be the charm !

We’re only at the start of this mad week! From Thursday, the adidas Arena will once again host one of those big European nights against Žalgiris Kaunas. You can be part of it via this link.

Žalgiris Kaunas

Take your seats !