Salle Gaston Médecin hosted the start of AS Monaco Basket’s latest title push as Monaco defeated JL Bourg-en-Bresse 81-75 in the opening game of their Betclic Elite playoff campaign.

Following their second-place finish in the regular season, Monaco has home-court advantage in this playoff series against the seventh-place finishers. After some time to rest since their last outing, Monaco showed up with a nine-man roster, including seven senior professionals and two espoir players. From the opening minutes, the tone of the matchup reflected how the night would unfold. After Elie Okobo opened the scoring, both teams were rather quiet for the following minutes.

Although the game lacked many standout moments, Monaco immediately showed a different level of defensive intensity than we typically see, forcing five turnovers in the first quarter alone. However, that intensity often felt disorganized, with defensive pressure often contrasted by inconsistent ball movement and a lack of offensive fluidity.

Because of this, Monaco’s at one point double-digit lead did not bring much comfort in the arena. JL Bourg received many opportunities for second- and even third-chance shots due to a lack of rebounding from the Roca Team. By halftime, Monaco found their lead reduced to a mere five points with a score of 37-32, an extremely low score for both sides at this stage of the game.

Early second-half points brought the game within one possession, fully eliminating any sense of comfort in the arena. From this point on, the momentum shifts became increasingly apparent. After Bourg tied the game up at 39 points, Monaco responded with an 8-0 run, however still not in the organized, composed manner expected at this stage of the playoffs.

The next minutes saw momentum shift toward Bourg, as they reduced Monaco’s lead back down to two points. Monaco refused to give up its lead, but struggled to hang on as the team continued to make critical mistakes and miss important shots.

This pattern remained consistent throughout the remainder of the game, with momentum continuing to shift between the two sides. Bourg finally claimed the lead in the fourth quarter with four minutes remaining. However, less than one minute later, Monaco reclaimed the lead.

The game truly came down to the final minute, as Bourg remained within one possession of Monaco with under a minute left to play. However, two points from Jaron Blossomgame, followed by two key free throws, ultimately sealed Monaco’s night with a victory.

Although Monaco came out victorious, the game highlighted key areas for improvement. Shooting just over 14% from beyond the arc, struggling with offensive rebounds, and committing 16 turnovers are not statistics teams favor in their playoff runs. Before Game 2 on Wednesday, the team must focus on improving in these areas as they continue their push for another trophy this season.

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Main photo credit: AS Monaco Basket