Monaco restarts with a loss in EuroLeague, pressure mounts in playoff race
Reinvigorated by their Leaders Cup title, AS Monaco hoped to build momentum in EuroLeague. But against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Roca Team fell back to it’s old habits. Defeated 91-86 at Gaston Médecin arena during EuroLeague’s 29th game day, Vassilis Spanoulis’s team paid for a catastrophic first quarter and an overly quiet performance from their offensive leaders.
Tough home loss 🚫
⏩️ Next game March 5th at Fener #RocaTeam #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/Sh1iRhmYvf
— AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) February 26, 2026
A damaging first quarter for Monaco
Everything — or close to it — was decided in the opening ten minutes. Outplayed physically and on the glass (12 rebounds for Maccabi vs. 6 for Monaco in the first quarter), the Roca Team was quickly in chase mode. More accurate from three (4-of-10 vs. 1-of-5), Maccabi opened up a gap, 30–17.
Despite a reaction in the second quarter, Monaco remained behind at halftime (40-49). Alpha Diallo, who scored 15 points in the first half, kept his team afloat, but the early deficit weighed heavily.
Monaco’s key players too inconsistent
Monaco gradually came back, benefiting particularly from Israeli fouls (11/12 from the free-throw line in the third quarter). With ten minutes remaining, the gap was only five points (63-68), before briefly taking the lead (76-75) in the final period.
But the comeback wasn’t enough. Too quickly in foul trouble, penalized by avoidable fouls, the Roca Team let Maccabi regain control.
On the other side, Lonnie Walker IV‘s return helped the Israelis. The American guard scored 18 points, well supported by Roman Sorkin and Jaylen Hoard (15 points each). Oded Kattash’s team thus secured their fourth consecutive victory and improved to 14 wins and 15 losses, staying alive for the Play-In.
On the Monaco side, Jaron Blossomgame delivered an outstanding performance (25 points and 7 rebounds), while Alpha Diallo added 19 points. However, Mike James and Elie Okobo, limited to five and ten points respectively, didn’t impact the game as expected. A shortcoming that largely explains this defeat.
Playoff race getting complicated
With this home loss, Monaco missed the opportunity to secure their place in the EuroLeague’s top 6. Momentum remains fragile on the European stage, despite the recent success against Baskonia and the Leaders Cup trophy. The principality’s team (16 wins and 13 losses) now holds only a one-game lead over 11th-place Dubai (15 wins and 14 losses), who just defeated ASVEL.
The Roca Team will have a week to regroup before a challenging road game against Fenerbahçe on March 5th, for EuroLeague’s 30th game day, as the defending champion is on a 17-game winning streak. An already crucial matchup in a high-pressure regular season finale.
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