Paris Basketball — Boulazac: 90:75, LNB

Paris Basketball saw off Boulazac 90 to 75 in the Ligue Nationale de Basket on Sunday evening. The hosts moved to the top of the table with a third straight win, while the visitors dropped to fourth after their second loss of the campaign. And here's the thing — Paris had been struggling for rhythm in their opening fixtures, losing three of their last five before this one.

What shifted was the tempo. Paris controlled the pace from the opening tip, using their movement to create gaps in the defence. They finished with 31 assists to 18, while Boulazac managed 17. By then it was clear the visitors were chasing shadows rather than setting their own game.

We had backed Paris at 71 per cent confidence before kick-off. The prediction held up — the home side simply had too much for them when they found their range. Eight of ten three-point attempts went in, compared with nine of ten for the visitors, but Paris converted the volume more efficiently.

The numbers tell a story of control. Paris grabbed 29 rebounds to 31, but their 8 offensive boards versus 9 for Boulazac made little difference. More telling were the turnovers: seven for the hosts against eleven for the visitors. That extra ball security turned into easy points in transition.

Paris sit three points clear at the summit now, having played the same number of games. Boulazac sit fourth, level on points with two teams above them but with a game in hand. The gap is small, but the momentum has shifted decisively in the early stages of the season.