Faried started the game and immediately made an impact, recording 7 points, 3 rebounds, a steal, and 2 blocks in the first quarter alone. With his powerful frame, trademark energy, and hairstyle, he even resembled teammate Mathias Lessort – enough that some fans might have momentarily thought Lessort was back on the court.
His hustle was equally impressive. Midway through the first quarter, Faried lost a shoe during a defensive play. He still managed to block a shot, sprint down the court wearing just one shoe, grab an offensive rebound, and draw a foul. Shorts, who had tossed the shoe off the court moments earlier, sprinted back to hand it to him. Yet even shoeless, Faried never stopped fighting.
Panathinaikos eventually found its rhythm, with Shorts, Kostas Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn – the team’s trio of left-handed guards – sharing the floor late in the game. Trailing 84–79 with seven minutes remaining, Coach Ataman called a timeout and brought Nunn back in. The adjustment paid off immediately, sparking a 12–3 run that put the Greens ahead 91–87. With Faried resting on the bench, Juancho Hernangomez and Konstantinos Mitoglou stepped up down the stretch.
Faried finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds (including 7 offensive boards), 3 blocks and a performance index rating (PIR) of 26, already surpassing his total production from his entire stint at CSKA (16 points, 12 PIR).
“I’m satisfied,” Faried told EuroLeague TV after the Paris game. “I don’t really care about my stats, it’s not a big deal. We got the win, and that’s all that matters. Paris is a resilient team; they don’t quit. They keep pressuring you and trying to score fast. They had their runs, but we settled down, locked in, and figured out how to stop them. We were able to escape with the win tonight.”