Paris (AFP)
Monaco, leader of the French basketball championship, won on Monday against Nanterre, as did its two pursuers in the standings, Dijon and Villeurbanne.
At the start of the evening, Monaco (81.8%) put pressure on their leading opponents by easily beating Nanterre (90-67), in a late match counting for the 12th day, thus ensuring to keep his first place.
Poster of the evening, the Rhônalpin derby between Bourg-en-Bresse, 5th, and Villeurbanne, 3rd, turned in favor of the visitors (79-70) after a hooked match, counting for the 28th day.
For the birthday of their president Tony Parker, 39, the Asvel players continued to show they are the in-form team of the moment on the national stage, having won their last seven Elite matches and nine of the ten contested since the end of the Euroleague regular season.
They remain third with 75% of victories.
As in the success two days ago against Monaco, Villeurbanne, carried by Thomas Heurtel, 21 points and Paul Lacombe, seven defensive rebounds, broke away from the third quarter.
For their part, better off in their meeting against Orléans, the Dijonnais had a less peaceful last quarter.
Led by a point 45 seconds from the end, they still managed to win (74-71) in this late meeting of the 12th day.
They go up to 80.8% of wins, solid second.
Orleans, which was on a series of five consecutive victories, lost its eighth place in the standings, the last qualifier for the final phase that the League hopes to hold in June, in favor of Limoges, winner of Châlons-Reims (73-66).
The Orléanais (52% of victories) also see Le Mans, seventh, move away (60%) with the victory against Cholet (95-88).
In the second part of the table, Le Portel (44.4%) won a precious victory against Roanne, 16th (33.3%), (77-74), at the end of a last very tight quarter, with a maximum of three points difference in the last five minutes.
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