By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Monaco survived in Istanbul, forcing a Game 4 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs against Fenerbahce.
Facing elimination on the road, Sasa Obradovic‘s side displayed character and clinched a hard-fought victory in Game 4, knotting the series at 2-2 with a narrow 62-65 win at the Ulker Sports Arena.
Elie Okobo was the winning side’s top scorer with 13 points, while Donatas Motiejunas and Mike James added 10 points each. It’s worth mentioning that Donta Hall had a significant impact in the final moments, scoring some crucial shots and blocking Marko Guduric with 80 seconds on the clock. This gave James the chance to extend Monaco’s lead with a crucial three-pointer on the next offensive possession.
“It was a crazy game; we knew we had to play 40 minutes to be able to go home for Game 5. They took one game in Monaco; we took one game in Istanbul. That was the minimum we could do. It’s going to be a war, a fight. Game 5 is at home, and we are going to have our fans. We are going to get some rest, get ready, and we want to win to get to the Final Four,” Okobo said after the game.
Guduric led the scoring for the losing side with 14 points, but Georgios Papagiannis recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for a game-high PIR of 20. Scottie Wilbekin scored 11 points for the hosts, while Nigel Hayes-Davis added 10. Nick Calathes did a bit of everything, contributing eight points, along with six rebounds and five assists for a PIR of 13.
It was a big fight from the beginning, but Nigel Hayes-Davis and Scottie Wilbekin ignited a 12-0 run, propelling Fenerbahce to seize a narrow 15-11 lead within the opening 10 minutes. Responding with resilience, Alpha Diallo and Elie Okobo trimmed Monaco’s deficit to 33-30 as halftime approached.
Jordan Loyd and Yakuba Ouattara briefly guided Monaco to claim a 42-43 edge in the third period. However, Jaron Blossomgame ensured Monaco maintained its lead, clinging to a slim 47-48 advantage after 30 minutes of intense action.
It was a close game until the very last moments. Mika James’ dagger in the last minute gave Monaco a 57-61 point lead, but Marko Guduric closed the gap to 62-62 with a three-pointer with 21 seconds on the clock. However, Monaco survived the final moments and will play Fenerbahce at Gaston Medecin Hall for the Final Four berth.
Postgame incidents and satisfied Obradovic
There was a short scuffle on the court after the final buzzer, with fans entering the court, but the situation quickly calmed down.
“I want to apologize to Monaco and EuroLeague for the last incident. This is not Fenerbahce; this is not us. Our effort was amazing; they left heart and soul on the court, and I am very proud of them. We’ll go to Monaco and fight like crazy,” Sarunas Jasikevicius shared his first impressions after the match.
Obviously, Sasa Obradovic was happy with his team’s performance and the final result.
“We were much smarter offensively; defensively, we were consistent, and that’s how we conceded 62 points against a great offensive team. We did an amazing defensive job. It was good to be the coach of this team today. I was preparing to attack the second game, changing lineups. We completely deserved that win, and let’s see, the fifth game is open. I hope we are going to use the home-court advantage, for which we worked very hard,” Obradovic said.
The decisive Game 5 of the Monaco—Fenerbahce EuroLeague playoff series is scheduled for May 8 at 19:00 CET.