In a nail-biting contest, The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague newcomers, AS Monaco (2-2) were extremely close to handing FC Barcelona (4-0) their first loss. But in the end, Barcelona prevailed in overtime 85-81 (22-12, 13-19, 19-25, 21-19, 10-6).
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
38
|
| Brandon Davies | |
| Points | 27 |
| Accuracy | 11-17 |
| Rebounds | 10 |
| Assists | 4 |
Barcelona started the overtime with five quick points, but Will Thomas and Mike James responded with four points of their own to cut the deficit to one (81-82).
Cory Higgins only made one of two free throws (83-81), giving Monaco a chance to re-take the advantage, but Leo Westermann's three was off the mark.
Nick Calathes missed on the other end, but Nigel Hayes-Davis grabbed an offensive rebound, putting Higgins at the charity stripe again. He didn't miss this time, helping Barcelona win by four.
Brandon Davies was spectacular for Barcelona, tying his EuroLeague career-high in scoring with 27 points (10/15 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 4/5 FT), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, and 38 PIR.
He missed his career-high in PIR by just one efficiency point. Davies had 39 PIR in the EuroLeague back in 2018.
"Monaco played in their line - so many big signings right now, Sarunas Jasikevicius said after the game. "They are clearly trying to make the playoffs. They are going to be a team fighting for the playoffs. People coming in, it is going to be difficult."
"I told you at halftime - I didn't prepare my team. The Guys responded, this is the best thing. I like this type of game in which you pull the game out of nothing, but we must play better because this double-week has been good with the 2-0 but hasn't been good basketball-wise," the Lithuanian coach added.
Will Thomas led Monaco with 15 points (5/7 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 2/2 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 28 PIR. Mike James added 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, and 18 PIR.
FC Barcelona / Schedule
FC Barcelona
Olympiakos Piraeus
Monaco Basket
Zenit Saint Petersburg"We played good, but not good enough to beat Barcelona," Zvezdan Mitrovic admitted after the game. "Congratulations to Barcelona, and to my guys, too. I think they gave 100%. I really like that players decide on the court, but tonight, we made some mistakes. Congrats one more time to Barcelona."
Brandon Davies was spectacular in the third period, scoring 11 of his team's 25 points in the quarter. His last-second shot gave Barcelona a two-point advantage going into the fourth (56-54).
Barcelona started to pull away in the final period, gaining a six-point lead after Nicolas Laprovittola's 3-pointer (64-58). However, Monaco responded with a 7-0 run, capped off with James' transition three (65-64).
Davies gave Barcelona a one-point advantage with 1:01 left in the fourth quarter (71-70), but Thomas responded with two free throws for Monaco (72-71). Davies Missed from close range, putting Mike James at the line on the other end, who converted both shots.
Davies scored quickly after a timeout, cutting Barca's deficit to one (73-74). Leo Westermann missed one free throw, allowing Davies to tie the game with a put-back.
Monaco had a chance to win the game with 2.7 seconds remaining in the fourth, but James' three was off, and the game went into overtime.
Barcelona: Brandon Davies 27 (10 REB), Nikola Mirotic 14, Nick Calathes 12 (11 REB, 5 AST), Nicolas Laprovittola 12.
Monaco: Mike James 16 (5 REB), Will Thomas 15 (9 REB), Leo Westermann 10, Donta Hall 8.
Highlights
