Villeurbanne (AFP)
Villeurbanne, carried by elusive Thomas Heurtel and Moustapha Fall, corrected Monaco, current leader of the French basketball championship, 92 to 68, Saturday afternoon in the clash of the Elite between the two Euroleague teams the season next.
Initially scheduled in early November on behalf of the 8th day of Elite, this match had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closed door imposed in French theaters.
He finally got into a fight on Saturday, still in an Astroballe without a spectator.
The Monegasques have a second consecutive setback, three days after losing in Dijon.
They cash these two defeats against competitors for the league title, while the National Basketball League still hopes to organize a Final 8 to award the trophy in mid-June.
With a ratio of 81% of victories (17 out of 21 games played), the Roca Team retains the lead, but sees Dijon (79%) threaten its first place.
The JDA will be able to get even closer in case of success in the evening on the floor of Le Mans.
Asvel for its part signs its 17th success for 23 matches played (74%) and climbs on the podium in front of Strasbourg (73%).
Saturday at the Astroballe, Thomas Heurtel provided the show, especially in the third quarter, multiplying the assists for Moustapha Fall and three-point shots.
"We had a good second half, we moved up a gear and it shows in the score. I was impatiently awaiting this match. The victory is deserved", commented Heurtel at the microphone of the channel L ' Team after the game.
The leader of the Blues ended the meeting with 25 points, and 8 assists.
The Heurtel / Fall duo was untenable, Fall scoring a double-double in passing, with 27 points and 10 rebounds (36 evaluation), while Guerschon Yabusele, with his 17 points, was not to be outdone.
The third quarter was fatal for Monaco, who conceded a severe 20-5 in the first five minutes, while the two teams were neck and neck at the break (37-35 for Asvel).
This big performance by TJ Parker's players sends a clear message to the competition: we will have to reckon with Villeurbanne, who is still the national title holder (2019, the 2020 season was prematurely stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic) .
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