Tony Parker has his first victory on the sideline. ASVEL Villeurbanne defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 84-74 in the opening round of the EuroLeague, played at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, breaking a streak that was beginning to weigh on the team.
An unexpected start
Because the team arrived without a win. They had lost all four preseason friendly games and fell in the French Super Cup semifinal to Roanne (73-71), a particularly uncomfortable defeat for the head coach.
In Europe, however, ASVEL controlled the game from the start. They led by as much as fifteen points in the 17th minute (35-20) and went into halftime up ten (42-32).
The Israeli comeback and the finish
Maccabi tightened their defense after the break and won the third quarter 20-25, cutting the deficit and bringing uncertainty back to the scoreboard.
But Villeurbanne closed with solidity: they also won the final period, 22-17, and didn't let the game get complicated.
The context of the debut
Parker took over the sideline this summer with a roster that was almost completely overhauled, with twelve new players including Patty Mills and Jae Crowder.
The previous matchup against Maccabi also didn't invite optimism: the Israeli team had won the last ten meetings between the two sides.