LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne secured bragging rights in the first French derby of the 2026-27 EuroLeague season, edging Paris Basketball 98-96 on the road Wednesday night at Adidas Arena.
The victory marked Tony Parker’s first EuroLeague French derby as ASVEL’s head coach, and his team delivered a dramatic comeback after falling behind early.
Paris opened with energy on both ends of the floor, forcing four ASVEL turnovers in the opening minutes while Nadir Hifi established himself offensively. Hifi scored seven of Paris’ first 12 points and helped the hosts take control of the opening quarter, which they won 21-14.
ASVEL responded through its perimeter shooting. Patty Mills and Tremont Waters connected from deep as the visitors recovered despite committing 13 turnovers in the first half. Mills went 3-for-3 from three-point range before halftime and added a difficult circus layup as ASVEL moved ahead 46-43 at the break.
Paris had 15 steals in the game and forced ASVEL into 19 turnovers, but ASVEL’s shooting ultimately proved decisive. Parker’s team finished 14-for-27 from three-point range, good for 51.9%, while Paris shot 15-for-38 from beyond the arc.
Paris responded after the break behind Tyson Etienne, who produced a spectacular scoring run. The EuroLeague rookie scored 17 consecutive points for the hosts during one stretch, repeatedly keeping Paris in the game despite ASVEL’s attempts to contain him.
Etienne finished with 27 points, shooting 9-for-17 overall and 6-for-13 from three-point range. Hifi was equally productive, setting a new career high with 30 points on 11-for-22 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep.
ASVEL entered the final quarter trailing but regained control behind Waters. The guard finished with 19 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance, including 4-for-4 from three-point range, while also recording three assists and two steals.
Hifi and Waters traded big plays down the stretch, but Hifi’s foul trouble forced Paris to briefly remove its leading scorer from the game. That interruption helped shift momentum toward the visitors.
ASVEL then made the decisive defensive plays. Paris scored only one point during the final two and a half minutes, while Waters stole the ball from Hifi to give ASVEL a 97-96 lead.
Paris had a chance to reclaim the game on the final possession, but Hifi missed his three-point attempt as ASVEL held on for the two-point victory.
Mills led ASVEL with 21 points, while Waters added 19, Both Gach scored 17 and Hugo Besson finished with 16. Jae Crowder contributed 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The result moved ASVEL to 2-2 in the EuroLeague, while Paris fell to 1-3.
ASVEL will host Crvena Zvezda next Tuesday, while Paris returns home Wednesday to face Virtus Bologna.
