Valencia Basket defeated Paris Basketball 104-93 at a sold-out Adidas Arena on Friday, October 23, in a high-scoring EuroLeague contest led by TJ Shorts, who delivered 25 points and nine assists against his former team.
The Spanish side maintained its position as the competition’s highest-scoring team, improving to 5-2 after recording its third game with more than 100 points this season. Paris, meanwhile, fell to 1-6 after keeping pace for much of the first half before Valencia pulled away after the break.
Shorts set the tone from the opening possession, scoring Valencia’s first field goal and finishing the first quarter with 10 points and three assists. He continued to control the visitors’ offense, combining efficient scoring with playmaking while committing just one turnover in 24 minutes.
The guard finished 7-for-11 on two-point attempts, 2-for-3 from three-point range and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. His performance earned a standing ovation from Paris supporters, who remembered his previous contributions to the club.
Valencia opened a six-point lead in the first quarter, winning it 32-26, but Paris responded with 28 points in the second to trail by just three at halftime, 57-54. The visitors then created separation in the third quarter, outscoring Paris 26-16 to take a 12-point advantage into the final period.
Paris scored 23 points in the fourth but could not mount a decisive comeback as Valencia maintained its offensive pace. The visitors shot 12-for-33 from three-point range and recorded 24 assists while limiting themselves to nine turnovers.
Armoni Brooks provided another major contribution with 22 points on 4-for-7 three-point shooting and seven rebounds. It was his highest-scoring performance since joining Valencia, rewarding the work he has put into his shooting.
All 12 Valencia players scored, while Nikola Mirotic reached another career milestone, becoming the third player in EuroLeague history to surpass 4,500 points.
Paris had four players reach double figures, led by Jared Rhoden’s 20 points. Allan Dokossi added 12, as did Jeremy Morgan, while Sebastian Herrera scored 11. Paris shot 10-for-30 from beyond the arc but struggled to match Valencia’s scoring output after halftime.
Valencia remains third in the standings at 5-2, behind Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul. The Spanish club hosts Fenerbahce next Tuesday, while Paris visits Dubai Basketball on the same day.
