Paris Defeats Nanterre, Advances to Final Against Roanne

Paris begins its season strongly. After losing both games in last year's Super Cup, the capital club has guaranteed a better outcome this year. Maxime Lefèvre's team beat their Nanterre neighbors 95-88, setting up a final against Roanne in the LNB Super Cup on Sunday at 5 PM. Roanne previously eliminated ASVEL.

TJ Warren made a significant impact in his first official game for Paris, scoring 22 points. Nadir Hifi also led the Parisian offense, contributing 22 points and 8 assists, especially in the crucial final moments. Nanterre, despite the loss, showed collective strength with five players scoring over 10 points: Hugo Yimga-Moukouri, Xavier Castaneda, Lucas Dussoulier, Donta Scott, and Benjamin Sène.

A Hard-Fought First Half

Nanterre started strong, hitting two long-distance shots early on (2-6, 2nd minute), while Paris struggled to find its rhythm. After four missed attempts, Tyson Etienne, a new acquisition for Paris, finally found the basket and drew a foul (6-6, 5th minute).

Nanterre then surged ahead with an 8-0 run, spearheaded by Benjamin Sène (6-14, 7th minute). It wasn't until Nadir Hifi returned to the court that Paris truly entered the game. Hifi sparked the comeback with a three-pointer and a brilliant alley-oop pass to Allan Dokossi, bringing Paris close by the end of the first quarter (17-19, 10th minute).

This momentum carried into the second quarter, allowing Paris to find offensive solutions but not to pull away from Nanterre. At halftime, Paris held a slim 50-48 lead, with Nadir Hifi, Allan Dokossi, and TJ Warren each scoring over 10 points. Nanterre's solid team performance, particularly from Xavier Castaneda who had 13 points by halftime, kept them in contention.

At the start of the second half, Maxime Lefèvre's players increased their intensity. They tightened their defense, allowing only 3 points in the first five minutes after halftime. Despite Lucas Dussoulier's efforts from beyond the arc (61-56, 26th minute), the combined scoring of Warren and Hifi quickly extended Paris's lead (72-58, 29th minute).

Nanterre Fights Back, But to No Avail

Paris tried to maintain its lead in the final quarter, but their offense faltered. Nanterre shut down Paris's inside game and capitalized on opponent turnovers with fast breaks to close the gap (84-79, 38th minute).

Tyson Etienne, who had broken the deadlock earlier, then hit another three-pointer to give his team breathing room (87-79, 38th minute). Nadir Hifi sealed the victory with a decisive play (91-81, 39th minute).

The match statistics are available here.

Played at Roland-Garros