All it took was a flash to ruin all their efforts and dash their hopes. After having brought down the European champion (75-73) at home at the start of the season, Asvel had offered more than honorable resistance to Efes Istanbul on its floor on Friday evening. But ended up giving in the money-time (72-78).
The French champion resisted three and a half quarters and still thought he was in the game after an offensive rebound and a basket from Youssoupha Fall (54-56, 35th), but 90 seconds were enough for the elf Shane Larkin to put the men of TJ Parker in the ropes abruptly and definitively. A 3-point shot with a bonus throw, an interception concluded by a basket on the counter-attack then a new shot behind the arc with a fault! Adrien Moerman took advantage of the sequence, a lightning 12-0 (68-54, 36th), to register his only basket of the match (3 points), while the European champion took his revenge on the French, therefore left behind and starting too far to hope to pick up.
Shane Larkin the tightrope walker
Larkin, who finished with 19 points, 8 assists and 4 steals, is used to tightrope walkers. The US leader has the biggest performance in history in a Final Four (29 points, 43 evaluation in 2019). On Friday, he was already the one who had sounded the charge after returning from the locker room, when Villeurbanne, very solid in defense and on all passing lines, had taken the lead (38-32, 22nd), thanks in particular to a Marcos Knight burning (16 points in the first half, 21 and 12 rebounds in the end, or 30 evaluation). Carried by Krunoslav Simon (14 points) and Tibor Pleiss (12 and 6 rebounds), the European champion passed a 16 to 2 which had reversed the debates for the first time (48-40, 27th).
Asvel, heroic in the effort, logically ran out of breath, in the absence of many of its vital forces – David Lighty, William Howard, Victor Wembanyama … An infirmary also joined this week by Elie Okobo, his best scorer (shoulder operation). It was too much for the Rhone team, which, despite 13 points from Chris Jones and Matthew Strazel, left Turkey fanny (76-85 defeat against Fenerbahçe on Tuesday). Tony Parker’s club, which has lost ten of its last twelve matches on the European scene, continues its slide in the standings (13th, 9 wins-15 losses). He will find his Astroballe this Sunday when he will receive Strasbourg in Betclic Elite, and will perhaps finally find a little light with the possible return of David Lighty.
The Efes, which sees its balance sheet return to the positive (12-11), passes just ahead of Monaco (12-12), in the eighth and last qualifying place for the play-offs.
