Match Preview
Paris defeated ASVEL in their last two head-to-head matches, both of which were played in the French capital earlier this year. Can they make it three in a row on Wednesday evening?
Paris Finding Their Feet After Difficult Start
Paris had a rough start to the new EuroLeague season, suffering back-to-back defeats in the opening two rounds to Panathinaikos 91-72 in Athens, then 92-79 against Partizan in France. Their star player Nadir Hifi had disastrous shooting numbers on both occasions.
They were tagged as underdogs in the third round last Friday at home against Zalgiris, but ended the losing run with an 82-78 victory despite awful three-point shooting (6/28). Hifi scored 21 points with 7/20 FG.
Speaking of their domestic affairs, Paris won all four games, two against Nanterre 95-88 and Roanne 81-59 to win the Super Cup, while beating Nancy 78-73 and Le Mans 103-101 in the LNB.
ASVEL Struggling to Maintain Defensive Intensity
Like their upcoming opponents, ASVEL are also entering the EuroLeague fourth round with a record of one victory and two defeats.
Their sole win was earned in the opening match at home, outplaying Maccabi Tel Aviv 84-74 thanks to fantastic three-point shooting (16/34). Jae Crowder played the key role here with 19 points in total.
Tony Parker's side were nowhere close to upsetting Panathinaikos last Wednesday in Athens, losing convincingly 102-79, mainly due to a disastrous first half (34-56) and poor free-throw execution (14/22).
They had a fantastic start last Friday against Valencia, winning the first quarter 33-21, but then collapsed defensively, losing the encounter 105-92.