Sunday 14th June saw Monaco face Paris Basketball in the opening match of the Betclic Elite Finals in Paris. Despite controlling much of the game, the Roca Team suffered a late collapse to fall 95-91 in a chaotic finish to Game 1.
Although Monaco maintained control for much of the game, they struggled to pull away from Paris’ persistence, allowing the home team to capitalize on momentum shifts and late free throw opportunities to claim the opening game of the series.
The initial minutes of the game saw both teams settle into a similarly paced rhythm, trading both baskets and mistakes. Monaco built an early advantage, but Paris remained within reach. Midway through the second quarter, back-to-back three-point shots from Paris cut Monaco’s lead to a single possession and energized the crowd at the Adidas Arena. Despite a response from Monaco, their advantage continued to shrink as the teams headed into halftime with Monaco holding only a narrow 52-51 lead.
Following halftime, however, Monaco reasserted themselves. Paris suffered their worst quarter offensively, yet Monaco still struggled to build a substantial lead, entering the final quarter ahead 76-67 despite appearing to regain control of the game.
Paris quickly bounced back in the final quarter and began chipping away at Monaco’s advantage. After five minutes, the teams were level once again. Shortly after, Paris capitalized on Monaco’s fourth-quarter mistakes to take the lead with just over three minutes remaining.
A chaotic final few minutes followed, with free throws being a major deciding factor as Paris, holding a one-point advantage with under a minute remaining, drew a foul following a sloppy Monaco possession. A technical foul only added to Monaco’s troubles, allowing Paris to extend their lead to 95-91 with only 0.5 seconds left on the clock. The Roca Team was unable to respond, suffering their first defeat of the Betclic Elite Finals.
The final quarter proved decisive, as Monaco endured their weakest offensive quarter while Paris delivered their strongest. Monaco shot only 29.41% from the field in the fourth, compared to Paris’ 55.56%, while Paris also benefited from 39 free throw opportunities throughout the game. With more than one-third of their total points coming from the free throw line, Monaco’s inability to contain Paris late ultimately proved costly.
With Paris now holding the advantage, Monaco will need to respond strongly in Game 2 to avoid returning to the Principality trailing 2-0.
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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basket