Real Madrid (2-1) got a close victory over AS Monaco (2-1) 94-86 (30-12, 21-27, 21-26, 22-21) despite blowing a comfortable advantage. The Spanish powerhouse provided Monaco the first upset in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
25
|
| Guerschon Yabusele | |
| Points | 18 |
| Accuracy | 4-5 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assists | 2 |
After Will Thomas three with 4 minutes to play, Monaco completely came back to the game and tied the score at 81. However, Yabusele converted 3 free throws to give the lead back to Real (86-83), with 2 minutes were left on the clock.
The last dagger was Rudy Fernandez’s three with one minute to go (89-84). On the defensive end, Real got crucial stops and sealed the win.
Guerschon Yabusele was a top performer for the winners. He accumulated 18 points (2/3 2PT, 2/2 3PT, 8/9 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 7 drawn fouls, and 25 PIR.
“They made big shots, pretty tough shots that brought them back in the game,” said Yabusele after the match. “They played with a lot of energy. As I said, they are a top team, but we managed to stay focused and win this game. I’m just enjoying being on the floor, we have a great team, I’m happy to be part of this organization.”
Pablo Laso emphasized the lack of consistency: “I think it was very important how we started the game, we got a big lead, but we were not able to play consistently neither defensively nor offensively, and they came back.
They are a team that plays solid, they got big players like Mike James, who can make difficult shots, and step by step, they came back. We were very solid in the last 4-5 minutes, and that made the difference in the end.”
Mike James put on a show for Monaco. He posted 24 points (1/4 2PT, 6/10 3PT, 4/4 FT), 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 34 PIR.
Zvezdan Mitrovic underlined the poor team’s start: “We really enjoyed playing here tonight against Real Madrid. Maybe we opened the game like we were impressed, with stress, and it was catastrophic.”
“I think we played better in the second part of the game, and in the end, as you could see, it was a matter of one ball, one basket, so congratulations to Real Madrid for the win,” Mitrovic added.
The Royal club came out strong from the first second. The whites organized a 13-1 run thanks to Hanga, Yabusele, and Tavares baskets. That was not the end, as Real’s lead reached 21 points in the first period (27-6).
Even though Pablo Laso’s squad was in front by 25 points at the start of the second quarter (44-19), Monaco made a 17-5 push to cut the deficit to 12 points (51-39). Mike James and Brock Motum inspired the run.
Trey Thompkins and Anthony Randolph did not participate in the duel, as they are injured and not registered in the 2021-22 EuroLeague.
Real: Guerschon Yabusele 18 (3 REB), Thomas Heurtel 13 (5 REB, 7 AST), Fabien Causeur 12 (4 AST), Walter Tavares 9 (6 REB), Adam Hanga 9 (4 REB).
Monaco: Mike James 24 (10 AST), Donta Hall 12 (7 REB), Will Thomas 11 (3 REB), Donatas Motiejunas 9 (3 REB), Danilo Andjusic 8, Leo Westermann 8 (2 AST).
Mike James performance
Highlights
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