


Paris Basketball romped to a 103-87 home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica to sweep the season series and put itself in a commanding position to finish in the top half of Group B, largely thanks to its more athletic outfit which had the upper hand in every department against Buducnost.
Notably, Paris kept the best offensive-rebounding team in the EuroCup to just 10 offensive boards while the hosts racked up 13, having out-rebounded the visitors 37-34 with Juhann Begarin and Ismael Kamagate doing most of the damage.
"I told them that even if they had scored zero points, they were the most impactful players on the court because of their defense," Paris head coach Will Weaver praised the duo at the post-game press conference. "When those guys play like that and we take care of the ball, we can also keep the turnovers down."
As it was, the outstanding Begarin paced Paris with 22 points, having given Buducnost’s big men a roasting at both ends of the court, while Kamagate posted 13 points and as many rebounds.
No less than seven home players scored double digits and Paris also shot an impressive 27 of 44 on two-pointers, while making 11 of 27 three-pointers. The hosts had 21 assists and only 8 turnovers, while Buducnost threw away possession 12 times.
The visitors struggled all evening to stay on an even keel with their more physical opponents and defeat was inevitable after Buducnosts's top scorer Erick Green (26 points) went cold in the second half as he only netted 5 points after the break.
"We struggled in defense the whole game and I think we have a problem when the other team has bigger bodies, it's a big problem for us," Buducnost coach Vlada Jovanovic succinctly summed up his team’s shortcomings. "We only played good defense for a couple of minutes in the last quarter but that was it."
Buducnost was no match for a youthful and energetic Paris team which impressed Weaver, who underscored how well his unit had adapted to being shorthanded through injuries.
"I am proud of those young guys being ready," he said. "We have many players injured and as a result, the other guys are playing big minutes two games a week. That is a part of our development, we are a team where young players can come and play and those guys deserve credit for taking advantage of those opportunities."