Monaco does it again and leads 2-0 before heading to Barcelona
AS Monaco won again against FC Barcelona (92-79) this Friday, April 25th in game 2 of the playoff quarter-finals. Vassilis Spanoulis’ team takes a commanding lead as they’re up two games to zero before game 3 next Wednesday at Palau Blaugrana.
Most importantly, they impressed with their consistency, which hasn’t been their strong suit this season. « We responded to Barcelona’s aggressiveness and physical challenge, » celebrated the Greek coach. « We did the job everywhere, we executed our game plan. We were patient and had guards willing to create for their teammates. That’s important to me. We controlled the game’s rhythm, their transition game and offensive rebounds. We showed great patience both in defense and offense. » In short, a complete game, ideally started by Alpha Diallo.
Alpha Diallo, from super-stopper to super-scorer
Following their excellent first half on Wednesday, the Roca Team started well. The principality club’s players could count on an excellent Alpha Diallo on both ends of the court. Recently extended, the New York wing scored his team’s first 12 points, nothing less. It took over 6 minutes and 30 seconds for another Monaco player, Mouhammadou Jaiteh (off the bench), to score. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Guinean international completed an and-one on the next possession (17-12, 7′). « He was everywhere, » his coach appreciated.
With better defense than 48 hours ago, the Roca Team had only conceded 19 points after 10 minutes, compared to 26 on Wednesday. And while FC Barcelona caught up (34-32, 16′), the Monaco players ideally served Jaiteh inside to maintain their advantage. The French center feasted on mid-range shots off short-rolls to enter halftime with 12 points on 5/5 shooting in 8 minutes. His team was up by 9 (49-40) at the break after a 3-pointer from a resurgent Jordan Loyd (13 points on 4/5 shooting, 3 rebounds and 2 assists for 16 in evaluation in 15 minutes) and another stop.
Tension rises but Monaco’s collective stays in control
The lead only increased in the third quarter. Just like the tension. Justin Anderson initiated a small scuffle. But this didn’t help get the Barcelona players back in the game. Quite the opposite. The Roca Boys continued to feed Mam’ Jaiteh in the paint, allowing him to reach 20 points on 9/9 shooting in 12 minutes at the end of the third quarter, which finished with a large lead (80-64) and 25 assists (28 final). « We played even better than in the first game, » admitted Vassilis Spanoulis, very satisfied with his troops’ work on both ends of the court.
Emotions are running high in Monaco again 😳 pic.twitter.com/rUOeFwXIQO
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 25, 2025
And as if that wasn’t enough, Terry Tarpey, the X-factor of game 1, came to dunk on Jabari Parker’s head, one of the few Barcelona players staying afloat this Friday night (16 points on 6/12 shooting, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for 21 in evaluation in 35 minutes). This made the former No. 2 draft pick lose his cool and worsened the difficult Catalan evening. The humiliation was complete when Tomas Satoransky, booed from start to finish after his ejection on Wednesday, embarrassingly missed a wide-open dunk in the paint before attempting a 3-pointer right after, which he also missed. Bold moves, even though Barcelona somewhat reduced the gap afterward (92-79 final).
But it will take much more to turn the situation around against this Monaco team. Provided they show the same face in Catalonia. Because more than once this season as in the past, they’ve fallen flat due to overconfidence. After a Betclic ELITE game this Sunday at Gaston Médecin against Limoges, they’ll need to maintain the same mindset as in these first two games to qualify for the second Final Four in their history. « It won’t be easy, » warns Jaron Blossomgame, who remembers the turnaround between Partizan and Real Madrid two years ago. « They’ll be fighting for their lives, we’ll need the same focus and intensity. We’re humble and hungry. » Quite a program.
In Monaco,
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