The Roca Team, second in the Euroleague with 15 wins and seven losses, was hosting Red Star Belgrade, tenth with 12 wins and ten losses. Sasha Obradovic and Domantas Motiejunas were returning to Gaston-Médecin and were determined to play tricks on the in-form team of the moment. Indeed, Monaco was on an 11-game winning streak, having not lost since mid-December.
The Roca Team wanted to continue their momentum, and Red Star aimed to start a series by winning a second consecutive game. Domantas Motiejunas wanted to play his best game of the season against his former teammates by scoring eight of his team’s first ten points.
Monaco had a difficult start, with Vasilis Spanoulis’s men struggling to set up their plays while Red Star was moving the ball well. The Roca Team called a timeout to stop the bleeding, trailing 7-15 in favor of the Serbs.
This timeout had its effect; their plays finally started to work, Alpha Diallo was hot from long distance, Kevarius Hayes took important offensive rebounds, and the Monégasques clawed back to take the lead 21-20 before a timeout from Sasha Obradovic.
The last two minutes favored Red Star, which went on a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead: 21-27 at the end of the first quarter.
Red Star’s shooting prowess makes the difference
Red Star began this quarter with a sensational shooting spree from afar, immediately going on a 10-0 run. Monaco fell back into its old habits, multiplying individual actions, tough shots, and allowing the Serbs to widen the gap.
Vasilis Spanoulis called a timeout: 29-43. The offense was sloppy, and the defense was absent. On the other side, Belgrade played beautiful basketball and shot well from distance. Monaco needed to hang tough and limit the damage before halftime to have hopes of a comeback in the second half. Just the opposite happened, Monaco unraveled, and the lead ballooned to +18 for the Serbs. Jaron Blossomgame stepped up to awaken his team: he defended hard, caused turnovers, and initiated fast breaks.
Without being convincing, the Monégasques managed to reduce the margin to 10 points. 39-49 before a Serbian timeout. They needed to perform well during these last two minutes to at least maintain the gap and head to the locker rooms with hope. It was even better: they managed a small run to cut it to six points: 44-50 at halftime.
To hope for a victory, Monaco needed to defend significantly better. However, considering the first half’s dynamics, the Roca Team was performing quite well, given the score relative to the match content. Red Star Belgrade had played well for 15 minutes, dominating in all areas and extending the lead to +18. However, they faltered, and Monaco regrouped. They returned to the locker rooms with a very narrow margin compared to their level of performance.
This second half began choppily, without rhythm, with fouls, turnovers, and free throws. Thus, the teams remained neck and neck.
Monaco struggled offensively but defended very well, causing Red Star Belgrade’s plays to unravel gradually. This was enough for them to take the lead at the end of the third quarter: 71-68 for the Roca Team thanks to a big long-distance basket by Élie Okobo in the closing seconds. Without being flamboyant, Élie Okobo was serious and effective.
Mike James misses the game-winning shot
Mathew Strazel had not scored until then; he decided to step up in the final moments, scoring eight consecutive points. The Roca Team gained a six-point lead and tried to maintain or increase it over the last six minutes of the game.
Belgrade relied on one-on-one plays due to the Monégasques’ good defense.
Mike James’s teammates maintained this lead but got a scare at the end of the game by attempting difficult shots. Izundu did everything for the Serbs, bringing them within two points with less than 40 seconds remaining. After a ghostly performance, Jared Butler capitalized on a Monaco turnover from a bad inbound pass to tie the game. With 12 seconds remaining, Mike James missed the game-winning shot and the two teams headed to overtime. Monaco had everything to win this match but made poor decisions in the final minutes.
In overtime, Jordan Nwora stepped up, sinking two perimeter shots. On the other side, the Roca Team faltered and failed to score. Monaco let this overtime slip away, halting their 11-game winning streak. Red Star boosted their Euroleague standings, while Monaco hit a stumbling block.
The Roca Team will need to present a completely different image to achieve a better result Thursday against the Real Madrid. The Serbs, meanwhile, will face the Italians of Virtus Bologna.
Matthieu Brabant
