Paris Basketball endured a difficult start to its European campaign, suffering a 79-92 defeat against Partizan Belgrade in its first home fixture of the EuroLeague season. Despite a 19-point performance from Nadir Hifi, the French club slipped to an 0-2 record following an opening-round loss away to Panathinaikos.
Partizan Belgrade Capitalizes on Parisian Turnovers
The visiting Serbian side capitalized on 20 turnovers from Paris to secure the double-digit victory. Partizan was backed by a vocal contingent of black-and-white-clad supporters who filled the stands behind one of the baskets. Carlik Jones led the charge for the visitors with 20 points, while teammate Tonye Jekiri added 15 points and seven rebounds.
Early Promise Fades After Halftime Surge
Paris began the contest with sharp intensity, jumping out to a 10-0 run as Partizan struggled from beyond the arc, missing its first four three-point attempts. The hosts controlled the opening quarter 18-15 and stretched their advantage to nine points at 26-17 in the second frame behind disciplined defense. However, Partizan clawed back before halftime, closing the quarter with a 9-0 surge capped by a long-range buzzer-beater from Arijan Lakic to take a 44-40 lead into the locker room.
Hifi Sparks Rally Before Late Collapse
Trailing for much of the second half, Paris fought back to tie the score at 52-52 and later 59-59, powered by Hifi shaking off a slow start to finish with 19 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Partizan restored order to lead 67-63 at the end of the third quarter before pulling away decisively in the final ten minutes, outscoring the capital club 25-16 down the stretch.
Upcoming EuroLeague Schedule
Paris Basketball returns to home court on Thursday to host Zalgiris Kaunas. Elsewhere across the competition on Tuesday, Elie Okobo scored nine points for Dubai in a 94-87 victory over Barcelona, Matthew Strazel tallied 14 points as Anadolu Efes Istanbul defeated Real Madrid 94-84 despite nine points from Théo Maledon, and Evan Fournier put up 19 points for defending champion Olympiacos in a 93-91 win away against Kaunas.
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