Musel Pikes won 98-89 in Esch after controlling most of the game, but the finish was still tense. MUS set the tone early with 35 points in the first quarter and built a 61-49 lead at halftime. Their biggest margin came at 61-44 late in the second period, with Everette Hammond IV (26, 1.91m, USA) and Jaylen Alexander Key (Season PPG: 19.33, RPG: 8.0, AssPG: 1.08) driving the attack.
Basket Esch stayed alive through shot-making. LAL shot a good 54% on 2-pointers and a good 36% from 3, but only 56% at the line. Musel Pikes were good from 3 as well at 48%, and they created a major edge in free-throw volume: 23 made on 34 attempts. The third quarter changed the rhythm. Esch won it 20-15, cut the gap to 76-69, and got closer behind Jordan Hicks (Season PPG: 15.58, RPG: 5.45, AssPG: 1.45) and Clancy Mac Rugg (Season PPG: 20.63, RPG: 9.67, AssPG: 3.0).
The crucial swing came in the fourth. Thill and Cornu hit back-to-back threes for a 6-0 push that gave Esch an 85-84 lead. Musel answered immediately: Key scored 5 straight points and the visitors followed with 8 unanswered points overall to move from 84-85 to 92-85. In a close game, Key and Hammond were the winners of that decisive stretch.
Key finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and an excellent 3/4 from deep. Hammond added 28 points, with a good 3/5 on 2-pointers and an excellent 4/7 from 3. Konan Oth (Season PPG: 14.62, RPG: 7.93, AssPG: 1.63) posted 14 points and 10 rebounds. For Esch, Hicks had 25 points on 9/13 from 2-point range, Rugg scored 23, and Quinten Nelson (Season PPG: 20.67, RPG: 5.21, AssPG: 3.92) added 13. Foul trouble hurt LAL late, with Cornu, Ceman and Rugg all fouling out. Coach Franck Meriguet was also assessed two technical fouls of different types in the second half.
This evens the season series at 1-1, and MUS now have two wins in a row after a long losing sequence.
(AI generated)