Basketball: big move from Monaco to Barcelona in the Euroleague, Mike James gets closer to Vassilis Spanoulis' record

Monaco strengthened its Euroleague Basketball Final Four ambitions by winning for the first time in its history in the home of FC Barcelona (77-67), second in the standings, on Friday on the 27th day. If Mike James did not beat Vassilis Spanoulis' points record in the history of the competition (4,455), the American leader (4,444 pts now) should easily console himself with the collective performance of the "Roca Team", his best of the season outside.

She, who had lost her two previous trips to Catalonia, broke this short series, and continued the momentum gained before the break: she has just achieved a fifth victory in a row and is back up to third place (17 successes for 10 defeats), to a success for her evening victim, who she will beat in the event of a final tie. She confirmed her demonstration of force on December 29 in the Principality (91-71) at the Palau Blaugrana, where Barça had lost only once this season, and the rest of the program allows her to aim for second place in the end of the regular season. The Rocher club will host five times in the last seven matches and will only face teams from the second part of the ranking.

“This victory against a direct opponent is important. We must first (before thinking about second place) secure this place in the top 4 which offers home advantage (in the quarters). We are going to take the matches one after the other,” Donatas Motiejunas told Skweek.

The Lithuanian pivot of the ASM was one of the spearheads of the domination inside the Monegasques, who ended up physically suffocating the Barcelonans confined to only 67 points at home. This steamroller set up after a failed first quarter (12-21), and especially after the break, where Motiejunas (12 pts including 10 in the third quarter) and Donta Hall (10 pts, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks) reigned in the paint, helped at times by Jaron Blossomgame (10 pts and 7 rebounds).

Two lengths behind at half-time (33-35 MT), ASM had a nine-point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter (60-51) then 13 five minutes from the end (70-57) . The clumsy Catalans from long distance (4/27) nevertheless came back to blow him in the back of the neck 90 seconds from the end (72-65).

James then took matters into his own hands, scoring Monegasque's last five points, including a winning shot sealing the victory 45 seconds from the buzzer (77-65). He finished the match with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists: the record, 11 small units ahead of him, can wait one more week and the reception of Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.