Milan was +12 after 30′, but the home team’s 27-12 run was decisive. Shields and LeDay are the best for coach Poeta, Okobo dominates with 16 points and 13 assists
A horror fourth period (lost 27-12) forces Milan to defeat in the Principality. Monaco wins 90-85. Heavy defeat, in a match, several times at the hands of Olimpia. Defeat number 17 in 33 Euroleague games significantly complicates qualification for the play-in. 18 points from Shields and 16 from Leday are not enough. Diallo’s 17 and Okobo’s 16 were decisive for the home team.
TWO FACES
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What is being staged in the Principality is a first half with two faces. The first quarter is all EA7 branded. At 10′ it was 25-13 for Poeta’s men, who fully controlled the pace and did not allow easy solutions to a Monaco team in difficulty. The data highlights Milan’s superiority, 10/21 from the field to shooting, 3/6 from beyond the arc and 15 overall rebounds. In the second period the match changes radically. The hosts return to the field with more energy, also benefiting from a sudden decline in Olimpia, who concede too many easy baskets in transition and suffer the rise of Okobo (16 points, 6/7 from 2 to 20′). At the end of the first half, a 3-point play by Ellis and a basket by Booker let Milan breathe (45-48 at 20′). The partial of 32-23 in favor of the home team puts the match back in balance.
DECISIVE FINAL
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At the start of the second half, Leday improved significantly, scoring in the approach and from beyond the arc (9 points and 5 rebounds in the third period). Markoishvili’s men, from mid-period, lose their offensive edge and slip to -10, receiving baskets from Booker and Shields, who from the arc makes it 63-73 in the 28th minute. At the end of the game, Milan stops the ball too much in attack and continues to suffer the Monegasque pick and roll and concede a lot from the arc. Hayes’ physicality and Diallo’s triples were decisive (82 equal in the 38th minute). A basket in the area by Theis and a 3-point play by Strazel put the home team ahead (88-82 with 19” left). Brooks, from 3, keeps EA7 alive (88-85 with 16” left). Strazel scores 1/2 on the line, but Milano, in the next possession, loses the ball and the game.
Monaco: Diallo 17, Okobo 16, Theis 15
Milan: Shields 18, Leday 16, Booker 12
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