The Roca Team secured a dramatic 85–84 victory over Barcelona on the evening of Tuesday, May 6 to punch their ticket to the EuroLeague Final Four for the second time in three seasons. In a gripping Game 5 decider played in front of a roaring home crowd, the Roca Team clawed their way back from a slow start to clinch the series 3–2 and book a semi-final showdown with Olympiakos on 23 May in Abu Dhabi.
The match had all the makings of a modern Euroleague classic—tight margins, tactical chess, and a twist in the tale courtesy of Monaco’s unlikely hero: Georgios Papagiannis. The Greek centre hadn’t played a single minute in the series until Tuesday but exploded off the bench with 17 points and a commanding presence in the paint that left Barcelona reeling.
Barcelona looked the sharper side early on, suffocating Monaco’s offence and controlling the tempo. By the end of the first quarter, the Catalans were in front 19–15, with Kevin Punter and Justin Anderson doing the damage. But things turned swiftly. Coach Vassilis Spanoulis, in his debut Euroleague season, unleashed Papagiannis, who injected life into the hosts and disrupted the rhythm of Barcelona’s Youssoupha Fall.
Monaco surged ahead for the first time in the 17th minute and carried a six-point lead into half-time, thanks in part to a timely three-pointer from talisman Mike James. The MVP contender delivered another clutch performance with 20 points, 5 assists and the decisive drive to the basket with just seconds left, nudging Monaco ahead for good.
Still, the battle was far from over. Barcelona, led by Hernangomez and Fall, mounted a fierce comeback in the third quarter, briefly retaking the lead. But every time the visitors threatened, Papagiannis answered—capping his night with a momentum-shifting dunk and a long-range shot that kept Monaco’s nose in front.
In the closing minute, Monaco’s defence stood firm. With Barcelona down one, their final two possessions were snuffed out with intensity and grit, and James calmly sealed the game with a signature drive through traffic. It was a display of poise under pressure, and it sent the Roca Team hurtling back into the elite tier of European basketball.
Now, with Olympiakos awaiting them in the semis—a rematch of their 2023 clash in Kaunas—Monaco has a score to settle and a shot at history.
