By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The French star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert was sitting courtside as Victor Wembanyama fueled Metropolitans 92 to the win, 81-69, against Cholet in Game 3 of the best-of-three series Thursday.
Moving from the Quarterfinals to the Semifinals of France’s Betclic LNB Pro A Playoffs, the 19-year-old center produced 19 points with 8/17 field goals. The promising upstart added nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks over 33 minutes. Using his incredible reach in defense did not necessarily add to the stat sheet but was the driving force for the win in the home venue of Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan.
The visitors went from a 21-point deficit to trailing by only seven points but limited time remaining in the fourth quarter halted the comeback bid. French center, Neal Sako, a youth product of the Mets, posted a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double in the season-ending losing effort.
Tony Parker’s ASVEL coming up next
Wemby recently learned his probable NBA destination as the San Antonio Spurs won the draft lottery to select first overall in the 2023 draft. However, the current goal focuses on pushing the team located in Levallois-Perret even deeper into the postseason of France’s top-tier division.
Winning the series, the team coached Vincent Collet set up a best-of-five series versus LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the next round. Entering as the second seed in the Playoffs bracket earned the homecourt advantage against the third-seeded side, the 2021-22 home of Wembanyama, a team controlled by Spurs legend Tony Parker.
Both ASVEL and JL Bourg clinched respective berths in the Semifinals on Tuesday. The fourth spot will be booked by the winner of the best-of-three series between top-seeded AS Monaco and SIG Strasbourg with La Roca Team up 1-0.
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