Paris Basketball defeated Anadolu Efes Istanbul 95-90 on the road Thursday night in a EuroLeague showdown, with guard Nadir Hifi delivering a 39-evaluation performance — a new personal record on the European stage — to lead the French side to its third away victory, bebasket.fr reported.
The win lifts the Parisian club out of last place in the EuroLeague standings and back into contention for a top-10 playoff berth just three road trips after it began the week as the competition’s lanterne rouge. Hifi finished with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and nine assists, outplaying his friend Matthew Strazel, who managed four points on 1-of-6 shooting for the hosts.
Hifi’s 39 Evaluation Shatters His Previous EuroLeague Mark
The 39-rating stands well clear of Hifi’s prior European high of 34, which he posted against Milan in April. “Thirty-nine evaluation, that’s crazy,” Paris coach Maxime Lefèvre said on EuroLeague TV. “He put together a very special game.”
Nearly the perfect play 👀 Nadir Hifi is special 💫@ParisBasketball pic.twitter.com/GYfy8QN5cC
Lefèvre noted the performance carried extra weight because Hifi has been playing through an ankle injury sustained on Oct. 11 against Strasbourg. Most players would not have taken the court in such condition, the coach said, but Hifi insisted on playing — and did so without forcing anything, taking open shots and making the right passes.
Teammate Jared Rhoden backed that assessment. “Nadir is special,” Rhoden said. “We trust him, we give him the ball in tight late-game situations. As long as he stays healthy, he has no limits.”
How Paris Survived Cameron Payne’s 33-Point Night
Anadolu Efes never made the evening easy. Behind Cameron Payne, who scored 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting with seven assists, and Bruno Fernando (14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists), the Istanbul side built an early lead in the first quarter.
Paris clawed back to within three points by the end of the opening period (26-23) and then opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to seize control at 31-26. The teams traded blows through the middle two quarters — Anadolu Efes tied the game at 54-54 in the third and led 72-66 after 30 minutes — before Paris retook the lead at 82-80 with six minutes remaining and held on down the stretch.
T.J. Warren chipped in 13 points and five rebounds for the visitors, helping Paris withstand the Turkish comeback attempt in the final period.
Third Road Win Changes Paris’s Season Picture
“It’s always great to win on the road in the EuroLeague,” Hifi said. “It’s our third road win. It’s great for us. We started the season poorly but we kept working. We stayed together tonight, especially since it wasn’t easy after losing 48 hours ago in the Betclic ÉLITE at Cholet.”
Team shooting reflected the momentum: Paris hit 50 percent from the field and 9-of-29 from three-point range, while Anadolu Efes shot 44.9 percent overall and 11-of-31 from deep. Paris also outrebounded Efes 37-41 on the offensive glass advantage of 14-11 and held a 42-37 edge on total rebounds.
The victory marks a dramatic turnaround for a team that opened the week at the bottom of the EuroLeague table. Three wins — all away from home — have now placed Paris back in the battle for the top 10, the cutoff line for the play-in and playoff picture in the 2026-27 EuroLeague season.
What Comes Next for Paris Basketball
Paris will look to extend the winning streak when it returns to action in the coming days, with the club’s domestic Betclic ÉLITE schedule continuing alongside its EuroLeague campaign. Hifi’s ankle remains a watch item after the Oct. 11 injury, but his availability Thursday showed he is still willing to play through it — a factor Lefèvre and Rhoden both cited as central to the team’s current form.
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