Following their victory over Milan last week, Paris Basketball had another opportunity to dash a team’s playoff hopes by hosting Maccabi Tel Aviv this Thursday. In what was their final home game of the Euroleague season, the Parisian club once again played the spoiler against Oded Kattash’s team, defeating them decisively with a score of 113-80.
For one of the first times this season, the French champions maintained their offensive prowess throughout the entire game, leaving their visitors with nothing. Key contributors to this dominant performance were Justin Robinson (25 points, 6 assists) and the dynamic Allan Dokossi (14 points, 4 rebounds), who were excellent, as they have been consistently since Julius Thomas’s appointment.
On the other side, Maccabi’s poor long-range shooting (8/35) proved to be their undoing, making it impossible for them to leave the Adidas Arena with anything. This inaccuracy was exemplified by Lonnie Walker, who struggled significantly despite scoring 16 points (5/14 shooting), while Frenchman Jaylen Hoard (3 points on 1/6 shooting) also faced considerable difficulties.
A Fiery Start
Determined to show no mercy to their opponents, Paris started with four impactful plays. First, Allan Dokossi attacked the rim in transition, followed by Derek Willis swatting away Jaylen Hoard’s shot, and then Justin Robinson and Sebastian Herrera both hitting from beyond the arc (8-2, 2nd minute).
This intensity contrasted sharply with the Israeli team, who were often forced into errors. With 5 turnovers in as many minutes of play (4 of which were by Jimmy Clark III alone), they were quickly punished in transition (21-12, 5th minute). Despite strong runs from Lonnie Walker and O’shae Brissett, Paris maintained their lead, largely thanks to Herrera, who added two more three-pointers in the first quarter (29-15, 7th minute).
Fueled by their captain, Paris recorded their best offensive quarter of the season, scoring 41 points (just two shy of the competition record for a single quarter) and demonstrating exceptional long-range accuracy (6/10 in the period). The quarter concluded much like it began, with a powerful dunk from former Dijon player Allan Dokossi just seconds before the buzzer (41-24, 10th minute).
Julius Thomas’s squad maintained this frenetic pace in the second quarter. Driven by Amath M’baye, who executed two magnificent fade-away shots from the baseline, they extended their lead to as much as 20 points (49-29, 14th minute). Subsequently, the home team experienced a significant lapse, failing to score for over three minutes.
However, even this slump was not enough to allow the Israelis to close the gap. With poor three-point shooting (4/16 in the first half), Maccabi missed their opportunity, and Nadir Hifi made them pay by sinking two high-level three-pointers himself (55-34, 18th minute). Despite a poorly managed final possession, the French champions held a commanding lead at halftime (61-38, 20th minute).
Paris Held On Until the End!
They continued to nurture this lead after returning from the locker room, with Justin Robinson assisting Dokossi again (66-40, 21st minute) and then draining his second long-range shot of the evening (69-40, 22nd minute). The deficit even surpassed 30 points after a silky mid-range shot from the home crowd favorite (85-51) and continued to grow until the end of the third quarter.
This rendered the final quarter largely academic. The momentum did not shift; on the contrary, Paris even reached a 40-point advantage (111-71, 37th minute). This magnificent success, while having no impact on Paris’s standings, effectively condemns their opponents to elimination from the Euroleague.
The box score for the game can be found here.
At the Adidas Arena, Paris
