PARIS — Nadir Hifi scored the final six points as Paris Basketball rallied past Zalgiris Kaunas 82-78 on Thursday night at Adidas Arena, securing its first EuroLeague victory of the season after shutting down Zalgiris for nearly the final three minutes.
Hifi led all Paris scorers with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, delivering the decisive closing run after Paris overcame a fourth-quarter deficit and the ejection of TJ Warren. Warren had 14 points before being ejected with nine minutes remaining following his second technical foul, while Allan Dokossi stepped up from the bench with eight points and eight rebounds.
Zalgiris scored only three points in the opening five minutes before an 11-2 run gave the visitors a 14-10 lead, but Paris trailed just 19-17 after the first quarter and led 41-38 at halftime. Paris opened the second half with seven consecutive points and maintained a 61-53 advantage after three quarters before Zalgiris surged after Warren's ejection, with two Carsen Edwards three-pointers helping the visitors move ahead 67-68 and extend the lead to 76-71 with four minutes remaining.
Hifi answered with a three-pointer to put Paris back in front at 79-78, then added another basket and a free throw to score the final six points of the contest as Zalgiris was held scoreless for nearly the final three minutes. Edwards finished with 19 points for Zalgiris while Azuolas Tubelis added 18 points and seven rebounds. Paris won the rebounding battle 43-42 with 16 offensive rebounds, a factor Zalgiris head coach Tomas Masiulis highlighted after the game. Paris improved to 1-2 while Zalgiris dropped to 1-2 after its second defeat of the opening double-game week; Paris hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the French derby next Wednesday while Zalgiris travels to Barcelona on Friday.