The Roca Team faced a tough evening at the Salle Gaston-MΓ©decin as the Monegasque’s fell to Barcelona 98-84 in a high-stakes EuroLeague matchup on Thursday, January 9. Despite entering the 20th round as co-leaders of the standings alongside Olympiakos, Monaco struggled to maintain their defensive edge against an on-fire Barcelona squad.

Monaco’s hopes were briefly reignited during the third quarter, thanks to a spirited performance by Matthew Strazel, who racked up 15 points and gave the home crowd a glimmer of hope as the Roca Team momentarily seized the lead. But Barcelona responded with relentless precision, pulling away in the final quarter to secure an 18-point advantage at one point.

Barcelona’s offensive dominance was undeniable, with five players scoring in double figures. Dario Brizuela led the charge with 27 points, while Kevin Punter added 14, Chimezie Metu contributed 13, Jabari Parker scored 12, and Alex Abrines chipped in 11. The Catalan side’s remarkable 52 percent accuracy from beyond the arc proved too much for Monaco to handle.

After the game, the Roca Team’s head coach Vassilis Spanoulis did not mince words, calling his team’s defensive performance “unacceptable.” In an impassioned interview, the Greek coach expressed his frustration: β€œWe didn’t defend. These bad habits in defence will lead us nowhere. You can’t concede 98 points at home and expect to win. We gave them confidence, and they punished us. It’s unacceptable.”

Despite Mike James’ heroic efforts late in the game, with the American guard scoring 23 points and dishing out eight assists, Monaco couldn’t close the gap. James briefly brought his team within seven points (78-85) with under five minutes remaining, but the comeback fell short as Barcelona’s offensive prowess continued to shine.

The loss leaves Monaco with a record of 13 wins and seven losses, putting them at risk of being overtaken by Olympiakos, who host Bayern Munich in Greece on Friday, January 10. Elsewhere in EuroLeague action, Asvel heads to Turkey to face Anadolu Efe, while Paris Basketball takes on Red Star in Belgrade, all in the same evening.

For the Roca Team, the focus now turns to regrouping and addressing their defensive lapses as they aim to reclaim their footing in the EuroLeague standings. The battle for supremacy is far from over, but Monaco will need a stronger showing in their upcoming games to stay in contention.

Image courtesy of @ASMonaco_Basket on X