Monaco - Maccabi Tel Aviv
International - Euroleague, Playoffs, Quarterfinal
The basketball Expert
On Tuesday night, Monaco played the worst game at home in the Euroleague this season. They shot a disastrous 4/26 from three-point range and that was the main reason for the loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Their intensity in defense was at required level, but they failed on the other side of the floor. Apart from Mike James and Alpha Diallo, there were no players in good mood and even James missed four free throws. That best says how much the focus and concentration were not right. In game number two, it will be necessary for them to better control game rhythm and to get more open looks.
Maccabi did what they came to Monaco for. They made a break and now hold fate in their hands. In Tel Aviv this season, they are 15-2 in the Euroleague and will be absolute favorites to beat Monaco in front of their fans. This does not mean that they won’t do everything they can to take a 2-0 lead already on Thursday and thus actually take a crucial step towards the Final Four. All of Maccabi's key players contributed on Tuesday. Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown got their points, and Bonzie Colson and Darrun Hilliard made some key shots.
It is true that throughout the season Monaco has big problems with three-point percentages, but everything starts from good looks. They will have to be even more patient in offense and to rely a lot more on easy points under the basket where Donatas Motiejunas has dominance against Maccabi's tall players. After the defeat, Monaco emphasized that they will fight like mad dogs in the next game and that the intensity will be much higher. The fact is that they have more offensive potential than Maccabi, as well as that they can play better defense. Now they have to parry in will which was not the case in game number one. It would be quite a surprise if Maccabi returns to Tel Aviv 2-0.
Pistol Pete
Two physically extremely strong, athletically dominant teams showed in the first match of the Euroleague quarterfinals, on Tuesday in the Monaco's arena, what kind of duels we can expect until the end of this playoff series.
The Israeli giant Maccabi won 79:67 away from home, in a match in which they managed to reduce the hosts to a maximum of 17 points in each quarter. At the same time, Maccabi managed to score more than 20 points in only one quarter of the match. Now, above all, an even fiercer defensive approach is expected from the hosts. With a focus on firmness and a precise approach, above all in defense, as well as patient attacks.
Such a game is expected in the key matches of the season, when Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic is involved. On the other hand, Maccabi has enough dominant athletes and top individuals in the squad, that they can accept a slower tempo game compared to their usual fast pace. The first match of the quarter-finals is a perfect proof of that.
Overall, Monaco are in crisis in a very awkward period of the season for them – since March 26, that is, in the last month, Obradovic's team has lost as many as six games in all competitions. Against the favorites in the Euroleague, the team from the principality on the Cote d'Azur has obvious problems when it comes to the attacking game, especially in the previous weeks. Thus, Monaco lost the previous match in the Euroleague, against Efes in Istanbul, 87:72. At the end of March, the Zalgiris team was defeated 79:70 away from home... It is far from the top offensive editions from the first part of the season and in the period until the end of February.
This is supported by speculations that the atmosphere in the home team is broken. Maccabi is, of course, the ideal opponent to take advantage of Monaco's drop in form, but the triumph of the Israeli team is far from guaranteed again. It is much more certain that we will see a match of teams focused on defense, with a potentially uncertain outcome.
Maccabi receives 80.6 and Monaco 81.7 points per match in the Euroleague this season. Both teams strive for individual solutions, so Monaco has only 15.6 assists on average in the European elite. The home team is not an overly dominant team in terms of scoring from distance, shooting three-pointers with only 31.1 percent success this season.
So far, these teams have played five times, Maccabi will look for a chance for a fourth victory in their duels this Thursday. Only once has it happened so far, in their first match in November 2021, that a team scored over 90 points in their match (Maccabi triumph 95:84).
This playoff series is played for three wins, Maccabi will be the host in the third duel next week, so Monaco is under pressure to play a good defense with a fierce approach and hinder the main offensive options of the rivals. The key task will be to stop the guests' excellent shooter Wade Baldwin, who in addition to 20 points in the first match had six assists and rebounds. The quality of individuals is on the side of the Israeli team, but Monaco has enough quality as a whole to at least slow them down Maccabi.