On the occasion of the 7th day of the Euroleague, the Roca Team was playing away in Greece. On the Olympiakos court, the Monegasques secured a victory after a very uncertain match.
The Roca Team is becoming the bogey team for Olympiakos. The Monegasques have just racked up their fourth consecutive victory against the Piraeus team. A result not so obvious given the recent performances of the Principality’s men. Because on the opposite side, Olympiakos has four consecutive wins across all competitions. And against all odds, the players of Vassilis Spanoulis, returning to a court he knows well, deliver a perfect start to the match. They take the lead quickly by +7 with a Mike James already on form. But facing Aleksandar Vezenkov, the best rebounder of the Euroleague this season, the Monegasques suffer under the basket. Coupled with less and less encouraging shooting accuracy as the minutes go by, the Roca Team sees its lead diminish very quickly. The Greeks even finish this first quarter ahead (20-16).
Not enough to impress the Roca Team. Olympiakos, not very accurate in shooting despite continued dominance in rebounding, fails to widen the gap. In turn, Alpha Diallo and Mike James put on a show. Unlike Elie Okobo, having a tough night, the two teammates from the Principality light up the local defense. Monaco tries to toughen their play but finds themselves quickly in penalty trouble and risks losing control of the match.
It takes until the 15th minute of play to see the first successful three-pointer for the Roca Team after eight attempts. Back on the court, Mike James energizes the play and brings the Monegasques within one point. A strong period follows, powered by fast play, allowing Monaco to head to the locker room at the break with only a one-point deficit (38-37).
Alpha Diallo unstoppable
The restart is cautious on both sides. Even if the pace has significantly increased, it takes until the end of the third quarter for Monaco to take the lead. A duel sets in with Tyler Dorsey and tensions rise. Alpha Diallo responds on the court with a majestic Mike James at the pass. True to form, Jaron Blossomgame plays the lieutenant and comes in for a block to help the Roca Team break away to +10. A first significant gap in a quarter very generous in points on both sides. Though the locals react through the inevitable Tyler Dorsey, the Monegasques feel they could pull off another feat in the Euroleague this season and lead (64-60).
As expected, from the start of the fourth quarter, the match ignites. The teams go toe to toe. Despite the French players struggling on the Olympiakos side (two points for Frank Ntilikina and Evan Fournier), the Greek players push back. Donta Hall reminds everyone of his time with the Roca Team, having played in the Principality from 2021 to 2024. Now under the Azerbaijani flag, he scores nine points off the bench to bring his teammates within four points. Vassilis Spanoulis deliberately takes his time to rotate, but Monaco holds firm. Élie Okobo regains his form and Matthew Strazel steps up. In the closing moments, the two teams are separated by just a slender margin of two points. The atmosphere intensifies in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, somewhat ironically named tonight! Finally, the Roca Team manages to maintain their lead, still carried by Mike James (23 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds) and Alpha Diallo (27 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds).
Monaco wins on the Olympiakos court (87-92) and catches up with their evening opponent in the Euroleague standings with 11 points. However, the Monegasques are not yet done with Greek teams, as they will host Panathinaikos on Friday night at Gaston-Médecin. The match will kick off at 7 p.m.
