Monaco secures last EuroLeague playoffs ticket with stunning victory over Barcelona
At the end of a grueling season, Monaco finally reaches the playoffs.
Photo credit: @Sébastien Grasse
It seemed almost unthinkable just a few weeks ago when the team was trapped in a terrible negative spiral, but Monaco will indeed play in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. If someone had told them back in February — when they were coming off a series of five straight EuroLeague defeats and found themselves on the edge of the Top 10 — they might not have believed it.
Yet the Monégasques will experience the playoffs at the end of this challenging 2025-2026 season, particularly due to off-court issues. After the defeat against Panathinaïkos in the first 7-8 play-in match, they bounced back at home against a FC Barcelona team they know so well.
Terry Tarpey provides the spark in crucial victory
In this remake of the 2025 playoffs, it was once again the Roca Team that triumphed, now holding a 3-0 record this season against the Blaugranas. The opposing coach had shown confidence after his victory against Red Star on Tuesday: « I’m sure that if we don’t lose our concentration and everything goes normally there, we’re going to win. » He was wrong.
Monaco showed their best face as they were finally able to play with nine players, thanks to the return of Terry Tarpey, who became the X-factor of the first period with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 5 minutes. The Barcelona players may not have sufficiently scouted the Franco-American, who had been injured for a month and wasn’t certain to play. Usually a bench player, he showed all his qualities as a true spark plug by grabbing two offensive rebounds on his own shots, followed by a transition dunk, then a putback. He led the Roca Team to an almost perfect first period (49-35) before being benched in the second half.
Individually, the trio of Okobo-Theis-Blossomgame bounced back after Tuesday’s defeat, combining for 41 points, including 16 for Daniel Theis. Mike James recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, just hours after announcing to L’Équipe that this would be his last season in Monaco.
Collective effort secures playoff berth
It was above all a remarkable collective effort, as has become customary in recent weeks when this tight-knit group decided that nothing could stop them in their final campaign together. They accumulated nearly twice as many assists (20) as turnovers (11), an gap that could have been even larger without a rough patch in the third quarter (only 22% shooting, 6 turnovers for 2 assists).
With a more controlled fourth quarter, Manuchar Markoishvili’s men secured a final nine-point margin (79-70) that earned them the last EuroLeague playoffs ticket. « It feels good. Looking back on this season, everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve fought, it’s a very special feeling to reach the playoffs. I’m proud of my guys, of my coaches. We never gave up despite everything happening around us. We showed character, » said game MVP Jaron Blossomgame (23 efficiency rating) after the match.
Monaco will face powerhouse Olympiakos, the regular season leader, on Tuesday, April 28th. « We have a long history with Olympiakos, it’s maybe the team we’ve played the most in EuroLeague… I’m sure it’s going to be a battle, but we’ll be ready. We have our chances, » declared Mike James.
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