Basketball: Victor Wembanyama's Mets 92 advance to championship semifinals

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP 00:18, May 26, 2023

Still at least a triple dose of Victor Wembanyama in the championship. The Mets 92 postponed the farewell of the French basketball prodigy before his departure to the NBA by dismissing with authority Cholet (81-69) in the decisive support game of the quarterfinals, Thursday in Levallois-Perret. Boulogne-Levallois will meet Asvel, three-time defending France champions, in the semifinals that Wembanyama left last summer to join a project more likely to prepare for his entry into the NBA.

A best-of-five series that promises at least three more matches in Wembanyama's Elite before his departure to the United States, most likely for San Antonio who inherited the first pick in the draft on June 22.

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Farewell Tour

Pushed to a support game after the Choletaise equalizer Tuesday to a victory everywhere on an award-winning shot at the buzzer of Dominic Artis (83-80), the Mets 92 did not really tremble two days later. Leading by nine lengths at the end of the first quarter (20-11) and then 18 at halftime (42-24), the team coached by Vincent Collet certainly experienced a slight wavering when the CB returned to seven units (76-69) at 1 min 40 sec.

But it was solid at free throws (3/4 for Thomas and Konaté) unlike Choletais (0/2 for Sako), who also saw Artis miss two crucial baskets in the last minute. Behind, the captain Lahou Konaté (14 pts at 2/5 to 3 pts) sealed the victory on the counterattack with 30 seconds to go. Wembanyama scored no points in the final quarter, where he further protected the racket and acted as a deterrent. He still finished as his team's leading scorer (19 pts, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks) and continued his playoffs in the form of a farewell tour.