Basketball · International
Hernangómez leads Barcelona to an away win in Paris
Barcelona beat Paris Basketball 90–79 on 3 January, ending two EuroLeague defeats as the home club announced a record crowd.
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Barcelona converts its lead into a win
Barcelona began 2025 with a 90–79 victory over Paris Basketball at the Accor Arena on 3 January. Willy Hernangómez supplied 23 points, Chimezie Metu 13 and Tomáš Satoranský 12 as Joan Peñarroya’s team collected its tenth EuroLeague win. The visitors led 25–19 after the opening quarter and 40–36 at halftime. Their advantage grew to 56–42 midway through the third period, then stood at 65–55 entering the fourth. Metu scored seven points early in that final quarter to restore a fourteen-point lead. The result ended consecutive European defeats against Virtus Bologna and Crvena Zvezda and gave Barcelona a successful start to the calendar year.
Paris makes the closing minutes competitive
The home club’s report describes T.J. Shorts scoring nine successive early points and finishing with 20. Maodo Lô helped the offence through baskets near the rim, while Yakuba Ouattara’s three-pointer at the halftime buzzer kept Paris close. After the interval, Hernangómez and Metu made their presence felt inside. Paris nevertheless recovered its outside shooting and produced a late challenge in front of the home crowd. Lô finished with 18 points and Nadir Hifi with 14, but the rally did not reverse the result. For Tiago Splitter’s team, the night combined a substantial late response with a defeat. Paris immediately looked ahead to two road games before returning to the same arena for a domestic meeting with JL Bourg on 12 January.
A crowd milestone accompanies the match
Paris Basketball separately announced attendance of 16,203, describing it as a record for a French club in the EuroLeague and for a basketball game within Paris itself. The announcement was published on the night of the fixture. It placed the crowd alongside earlier sellouts for visits by Crvena Zvezda, Baskonia and Real Madrid at the adidas arena. The club also reported that more than 100,000 spectators had attended its games during the preceding months. Club president David Kahn also described the evening as a record for attendance and ticket revenue.
Different pressures at the turn of the year
The January 2 preview had identified Barcelona’s even 9–9 EuroLeague record as a reason the Catalan team needed to regain momentum. Paris had ended 2024 amid repeated travel and a virus affecting the squad. Its preview therefore framed the fixture as an opportunity to establish a fresh dynamic, with Shorts averaging 18.9 points and 7.6 assists before the game. Paris could also draw encouragement from its earlier performance in Barcelona and its first European win of the season, against Panathinaikos at the Accor Arena. Those expectations explain the importance both teams attached to this January opening.
Barcelona answers the final warning
Paris came within four points at 78–74 with five minutes remaining. Alex Abrines then made a three-pointer, and Hernangómez and Satoranský supplied further contributions to finish the job. Barcelona had to respond to that challenge before the final eleven-point margin was established.
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