Monaco impassive in Berlin
After its success at home against Olimpia Milan, Monaco has confirmed that it has raised its head in the Euroleague with a success on the floor of Alba Berlin, bottom of the ranking (84-102), and remains in contact with the peloton of head.
Monaco has made a good start in the Euroleague. After conceding two defeats in a row far from their bases, against Red Star Belgrade then Fenerbahçe, the “Roca Team” confirmed the success acquired against Olimpia Milan by winning this Wednesday on the parquet floor of the ‘Albe Berlin. But, facing the bottom of the regular season standings, Sasa Obradovic’s players did not have an easy start to the match. Indeed, it was the Berliners who led the race for the first ten minutes. Gabriele Procida (16 points) and Johannes Thiemann (8 points) allowed the German formation to count up to five points in advance at the very end of the first quarter. However, at the buzzer, Yakuba Ouattara (12 points) responded from the three-point line to bring ASM down to two units. After a moment that saw the two teams go blow for blow, the “Roca Team” lost patience and banged their fists on the table. Conceding only two points in the space of just over five minutes, the Monegasques turned the match in their favor. An 18-2 in the same laps of time which allowed ASM to fly away on the scoreboard.
⚡️ Great victory of the #RocaTeam 🆚 @albaberlin 💪 Now for the shock to Gaston-Médecin facing the @RMBaloncesto (Friday, 7 p.m.) ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/PESGoSxhxi
— AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) February 1, 2023
Monaco rarely in danger in Berlin
Returning to ten units in the free throw game, Alba Berlin reached half-time by conceding a final 5-0 to push it back fifteen lengths. Returning from the locker room, the players of Israel Gonzalez tried to raise their voices to try to avoid a fourth defeat in a row on the continental scale. But, after having very quickly closed to nine lengths, they took on a new shine. While the Monegasque defense did wonders, Donatas Motiejunas (22 points), Mike James (13 points, 6 assists) and Jordan Loyd (12 points, 5 assists) never stopped finding solutions in attack. Exceeding a 20-point lead, the players of the Principality retained the last quarter with a comfortable margin of 19 units. The last ten minutes marked the final last stand for Alba Berlin and Yanni Wetzell (17 points) did not last long. Resuming the pace seen before, the “Roca Team” continued to widen the gap. It is with an 18-point lead that Monaco signs its fourteenth victory of the season in the Euroleague (84-102)the second in a row, and did not let themselves be left behind by the leading trio made up of Olympiacos, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.