Paris Basketball falls to Partizan Belgrade as Nick Calathes delivers masterclass performance
Nick Calathes dominated the Paris night. Photo Credit: KK Partizan Belgrade
It had been over a year since Nick Calathes last recorded a double-double – January 31st, 2025, when he posted 12 points and 10 assists in AS Monaco’s impressive victory over Real Madrid. That remained his only double-double in 41 games across all competitions with Monaco. Since his move to Partizan Belgrade in late October, the Greek veteran hadn’t particularly found his form, averaging just 3.8 points on 37% shooting and 3.8 assists.
Unfortunately for Paris Basketball, Calathes chose this moment for his awakening. As if he needed to exorcise the demons from a Betclic ELITE final where he often appeared overwhelmed by the intensity of the Parisian backcourt, limited to just 4 minutes in Game 5, unable to match the pace of the Hifi-Shorts duo and all the other fierce competitors of that era.
Calathes orchestrates second-half collapse
This time, it was Nick Calathes who dictated the tempo, playing at will in the second half and putting his team in orbit thanks to his formidable basketball IQ. « He did a great job running the offense, » praised former Villeurbanne player Tonye Jekiri to EuroLeague TV, who earned MVP honors for the evening with 15 points on 7/10 shooting and 6 rebounds thanks to Calathes’ numerous assists.
« I often pay for his dinners so he says nice things about me, » smiled the former Roca Team point guard. « We’ve been playing very well for three weeks now and this was another good game. Everyone touched the ball, the scoring was well distributed and that’s when we develop our best basketball. »
With 12 points, 10 assists and 17 efficiency rating, Nick Calathes posted season-highs across all categories. He largely contributed to Paris Basketball‘s defeat, as the French team completely cracked in the second half, conceding a 0-9 run to close the third quarter and a devastating 4-20 stretch that turned a 57-57 tie into a 61-77 deficit.
« We managed to create very good open shots in the third quarter but we missed them, » regretted Paris coach Francesco Tabellini. « We were defending but conversely, they hit big shots. As a result, we let frustration take over, we stopped defending and we started losing balls. It was a very bad sequence. Going forward, we’ll need to be much more solid and intelligent. »
The defeat drops Paris Basketball to 17th place in the EuroLeague standings, highlighting the challenges facing the French club in their European campaign.
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