Monaco pulled off a dramatic overtime victory in Belgrade on Thursday night, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 112–107 in a EuroLeague thriller that will go down as one of their best performances of the season. The win, Monaco’s fifth straight across all competitions, was powered by an extraordinary performance from Mike James, who scored 34 points and became the EuroLeague’s all-time leader in Performance Index Rating (PIR).

With Yoan Makoundou returning to the roster, Coach Vassilis Spanoulis started James alongside Strazel, Diallo, Blossomgame and Theis. The early exchanges were fast and physical, with Blossomgame hitting back-to-back threes to keep Monaco in touch after a strong Maccabi start. Monaco’s transition play clicked into gear midway through the first quarter, with Diallo and Blossomgame converting quick breaks, but a lack of finishing touch left the Roca Team trailing 22–26 at the first buzzer.

Maccabi leaned on their individual brilliance to open a small gap in the second quarter, exploiting lapses in Monaco’s defence. But as the half drew to a close, James stepped up again with a layup and a three-pointer to keep the deficit narrow at 46–49. After the break, Monaco found their rhythm. Theis hit from deep, Okobo danced through traffic, and Diallo’s and-one capped a brilliant run to level the scores at 58–58.

The two sides traded blows throughout the third and fourth quarters, with free throws becoming Monaco’s lifeline as Maccabi continued to apply pressure. Then, in a breathtaking fourth quarter, Mike James switched to full MVP mode — draining threes, finding teammates in perfect rhythm, and feeding Hayes and Strazel for key baskets. Monaco led 96–90 before Maccabi clawed back to force overtime.

In the extra period, it was Elie Okobo’s turn to shine. His three-pointer and mid-range jumper steadied Monaco as the pressure mounted, before Daniel Theis battled for a huge offensive rebound and converted under the basket. Okobo then delivered two clutch assists — an alley-oop to Blossomgame and a slick bounce pass to Diallo — as Monaco wrestled control. In the dying moments, Okobo broke through the press to finish a decisive layup, sealing a monumental 112–107 victory.

It was a night that confirmed Monaco’s resilience, depth, and star power — and one that firmly cemented Mike James’s place in EuroLeague history.