The 23-year-old guard stepped up when it mattered most
Nadir Hifi made things happen down the stretch against Valencia
Ανάλυση αγώνα
3 Χρόνος Ανάγνωσης
Regular Season
Round 11 of 38
Regular Season
Paris BasketballPBB
9086
Valencia BasketVBC
Overview
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It was looking like a rough night for Paris Basketball in general and for Nadir Hifi in particular. Valencia Basket came with a game plan to stop him, which worked really well for the best part of the game. However, Hifi found the way to make the difference in what will go down in history as one of the most furious finishes this season as Paris ended up edging Valencia 90-86 in come-from-behind fashion.
Valencia head coach Pedro Martinez started defensive specialist Isaac Nogues to guard Hifi, using his physicality and energy against him. After Nogues committed up 2 quick fouls, Brancou Badio and Omari Moore took turns on Hifi, who could not find a way to the basket. Paris did not find answers elsewhere, reaching halftime with a poor three-point shooting percentage (3 of 18, 16.7% 3FG). Valencia outrebounded Paris by 16-24 in the first half, including 9 offensive boards.
After a surprisingly low-scoring first quarter (15-14), Valencia found its rhythm to break a club record. Josep Puerto struck three times from downtown and everyone followed, as Valencia made 6 of 8 three-point shots in the second quarter to reach the 35-point mark. Its previous highest score in the second quarter of a EuroLeague game was 32 points against Zalgiris Kaunas on October 27, 2023, en route to a 72-87 road victory.
Valencia managed to keep the lead throughout much of the second half. By the time Nate Reuvers became the eighth Valencia player to sink a three-pointer, the visitors seemed to have the win in its bag, leading 79-86 with less than 3 minutes remaining. Hifi, however, had other ideas and found ways to be effective on offense right when it mattered most.
He got help, of course. Jeremy Morgan drained a highly contested three-pointer over Darius Thompson's defense. After Badio missed at the other end, Hifi finished a four-chance Paris offense by drawing a three-point shooting foul. He made all three attempts to get his team within 2 points. On Paris's next offense, Hifi buried his trademark step-back three-pointer to give Paris a 87-86 lead. The hosts had not lead since Mouhamed Faye's alley-oop dunk made it 19-17.
It all came down to the final play. Hifi held the ball, looking to be fouled. When it was evident that Valencia would not send him to the line, he found Sebastian Herrera for a catch-and-shoot three-point shot. Nothing but net. Paris finished the game on an 11-0 run to beat Valencia and snap a four-game losing streak.
"We made a stop. We ran it. After that, Seba [Herrera] made a crazy shot. Thank you, Seba!," Hifi said after the game.
Hifi had 6 points an an assist in that run. He did not have his best shooting night, making just 4 of 15 field goal attempts, but ended up with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for a PIR of 16.
"It was very difficult for us to get our rhythm against a very good team. We just found a way to win this game. We made a lot of mistakes. I don't know how we won this game, but finally we found a way. We are super happy for this win," Hifi said.
"First, I didn't have a good game. Yes, I made very big shots to lead it but I made too many mistakes and got frustrated with my teammates. We are a team. We have been together for 40 minutes. I'm very proud of this."
