Winner of Valence on its floor of the Salle Gaston-Médecin (90-79), Monaco is sure to participate in the Euroleague play-offs with four more games to play in the regular season.
Monaco has already achieved one of its main objectives this season. Indeed, the “Roca Team” made sure to participate in the play-offs of the Euroleague with a success against Valencia, the 20th in 30 days. Perhaps the pressure of the stakes reached the players of Sasa Obradovic but it was the Spaniards, in search of a vital success to keep all their chances of grabbing a place in the Top 8, who got off to the best start. Thanks in particular to Chris Jones (17 points), the Valencians took a six-point lead after just over four minutes.
Jaron Blossomgame (14 points) then intervened to bring the club closer to the Principality but it was above all an irresistible end to the first quarter that allowed Monaco to pick up. Faced with imprecise opponents in shooting and in difficulty from a defensive point of view, the “Roca Team” finished 8-0, equalizing at the buzzer thanks to two free throws from Elie Okobo (14 points, 7 assists).
That shot of Jordan Loyd! 🤯@ASMonaco_Basket x @mrjloyd
💎 #PurBasketball #SKWEEKlive pic.twitter.com/JY4S30m61z
— SKWEEK (@skweektv) March 24, 2023
Monaco calmed down Valencia
The start of the second quarter saw the Spaniards regain the initiative, Shannon Evans (3 points) passing a three-point shot from the start. However, Alex Mumbru’s proteges were unable to fly off the scoreboard. Worse still, Monaco handed Valencia a 12-0 in just over two and a half minutes through John Brown (10 points) and Yakuba Ouattara (6 points). Annoyed, the Spaniards tried to reply before the break but could not do better than to get closer to seven points on a last three-point shot from Josep Puerto (11 points). The break would have allowed Valencia to get back on track, but the “Roca Team” had another idea in mind. In effect, Donatas Motiejunas (6 points, 5 rebounds) and Matthew Strazel (13 points) have joined forces to push the Spanish formation a little further thanks to a 10-0 from the start of the third quarter. Solidly above the ten point mark, Monaco could have seen it coming.
Playoffs secured ✅ @ASMonaco_Basket I @ASMBasket_EN will be playing in the post season 👏 #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/ZNJ0aqEh1t
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) March 24, 2023
Monaco invited to the table of the big ones
However, his opponent did not intend to let it go. Bojan Dubljevic (15 points, 11 rebounds) did what was necessary to bring Valencia back to five points at the very end of the third quarter, Elie Okobo’s last two free throws giving ASM some air before the last ten minutes. The concern could have arisen when Xavi Lopez-Arostegui (2 points) brought Valencia closer to four small points with seven minutes left to play. Jordan Loyd (9 points, 5 assists) immediately calmed Valencia’s inclinations with a three-point shot that triggered a 9-0.
A series that put a definitive end to the suspense in this meeting. In the end, Monaco won by eleven lengths (90-79), its 20th victory in 30 days and the fifth in a row on the European scene. Which ensures him to accompany Olympiacos, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the Euroleague play-offs and to take a step closer to the Final Four.
