By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Mike James didn’t score the 29 points that were necessary for him to climb to the 1st place in EuroLeague’s all-time scoring leaders list against Barcelona but still produced enough to push Monaco to a big road win.
James posted team-highs 17 points and eight rebounds as Monaco beat Barca 77 – 67, making an important step in the race for the Top 4 in the standings. The Monegasque side is now 17 – 10 with one win less than second-placed Barca.
“I’m going to break the record eventually, so it didn’t have to be today,” James said. “It’s better that we won especially to help us out in the standings. We see what happens next week.”
With 1:12 to play, James also drained a decisive layup that put Monaco up 65 – 74 and then hit a triple that put the margin beyond double figures.
Ricky Rubio made his debut with Barcelona, playing his first game on a club level after April 2023. He finished with five points on 11:14.
Barcelona couldn’t combine Rubio’s return to EuroLeague action with a victory, falling victim to a highly energetic and strong defensive effort by Monaco after the first quarter. The visiting side trailed 21 – 12 at the end of the first period but caught up 35 – 32 at halftime and assumed the lead after the break, retaining it for the rest of the game.
Monaco held a steady advantage beyond two possessions in the last quarter, never allowing Barca to get threatening. Jan Vesely stood out from the hosts with 19 points plus 10 rebounds while Nicolas Laprovittola added 13 points.
“We had some good open shots we didn’t make,” Barca coach Roger Grimau said. “This made us go down. Tough game. Difficult night for us.”
Matthew Strazel had 13 points for Monaco and Donatas Motiejunas scored 12. Donta Hall posted 10 points plus seven rebounds while Jaron Blossongame contributed 10 points plus five boards.
“Every win is important, especially if we beat a direct opponent for the best position in the standings like Barcelona,” Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic said. “Unbelievable win with a bit of problems. My team reacted great. We were very physical and won the game defensively.”