EUROLIGUE 2024/25 – After a delicate first quarter, Monaco let loose and dominated Bayern without a shot, to temporarily join Paris at the top of the standings.
Yes, yes Paris Basket logically captures all the light in the EuroLeague, Monaco lives up to its reputation. With excellent momentum, the Roca Team occupied before the start of this 16th day tied for second place in the ranking with Fenerbahçe – which the men of Vassilis Spanoulis were beaten on Friday – and the Bayern, or their evening opponent at Gaston-Médecin. A new opportunity to strike a blow.
Complicated start, controlled reaction
Between two of the best attacks in the competition, there was plenty to enjoy at the start of the game. But the actors first “shone” with a disastrous address behind the arc. Which led Monaco to a big hole, with more than 4 minutes without making a single basket. Bayern took the opportunity to stick to the Roca 10-0 and thus take control of the game. And even if the impact of Georgios Papagiannis limited the damage, the Germans had a small mattress after 10 minutes (18-24).
The gap even climbed to 10 points, before the Monegasques finally decided to enter their match. And the effect was immediate, Elie Okobo leading the charge as often to put his team back in front in less than 5 minutes. Spanoulis used the depth of his bench, throwing for example Mam Jaiteh on short sequences, while as often – at least when he is on the floor – Terry Tarpey III had a real defensive impact. Enough to allow Monaco to lead at the break (46-40) without having anything to rest on its laurels nonetheless.
The Monegasque machine
And Bayern had visibly found their second wind coming out of the locker room, coming back to within a point, before Monaco this time woke up much earlier than in the first half. Once again, Terry Tarpey III was remarkable for its self-sacrifice, and Monaco stood out irresistibly in the score, leading by 10 points for the first time in the evening. Everyone contributed their contribution, and the Monegasque collective play was frankly inspiring, especially when it allowed Bayern to be completely extinguished. At the end of the third quarter, the match was practically won (77-60).
The collective strength of Monaco (8 players with 8 points or more) was truly impressive, and when the gap crossed the 20 point mark, the Bavarian illusions were over. The Roca Team had folded the deal and could even afford to put on a show based on play in transition and alley oops. Bayern had long since resigned, and Monaco could comfortably spin for a victory 93-74. While waiting for the Paris Basket match, here are the Monegasques co-leaders of the EuroLeague. Deservedly, La Roca impressed this evening, and looks more and more like the Final Four contender that we hoped to see it become.
