Mike James and Georgios Papagiannis led the hosts to a hard-fought victory in a back-and-forth thriller
Monaco beats Barcelona, 85-84, to confirm Final Four return

AS Monaco sealed its place at the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four spot after defeating FC Barcelona 85-84 in a thrilling back-and-forth Game 5 on Tuesday evening at Salle Gaston Medecin.
The visitors started strong and took a 15-19 cushion into the second quarter, but Monaco bounced back and secured a lead that they maintained until the end of the third (65-62). What followed was an exchange of blows in the closing quarter, with the hosts winning the series and booking their return to the Final Four after narrowly missing out last season.
Mike James led all scorers with 20 points and Georgios Papagiannis netted 17 – 10 of which were scored in the final quarter. Alpha Diallo and Matthew Strazel bagged 11 each. For Barcelona, Kevin Punter scored a team-high 19 points, with Justin Anderson and Willy Hernangomez recording 16 apiece. Youssoupha Fall registered a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Game Videos
Tomas Satoransky opened the scoring with a slam off the baseline before five straight points from Anderson gave Barcelona a 2-7 lead. Anderson and Punter nailed back-to-back triples, but Monaco responded with a 6-0 run inspired by Diallo, who tied it at 13-13. Daniel Theis got into foul trouble by committing 2 in the first 6 minutes and the guests made the most of his absence in the paint by getting three consecutive inside scores for a 15-19 lead after 10 minutes.
Elie Okobo completed a three-point play, but Dario Brizuela answered with a one-legged triple off the dribble before a Hernangomez bucket gave Barcelona an 18-24 advantage. Punter and Jaron Blossomgame took over with five points apiece before back-to-back baskets from Okobo put Monaco ahead 32-31. Anderson drained his third triple of the game, but the hosts went on an 8-0 run fueled by James, who made it 40-34 from the line. Then, Blossomgame scored inside and James drilled a pull-up three for a 45-39 cushion at halftime.
James and Theis started the third quarter with back-to-back buckets, but Anderson responded with a three-point play before two straight triples by Satoransky and 4 points from Hernangomez tied things up, 54-54. Yet, Strazel replied with five consecutive points, with Mam Jaiteh scoring inside to restore a 61-56 advantage. Jabari Parker netted his first points of the game and Fall added two to his tally, but Jordan Loyd made a couple of free throws for a 65-62 edge heading into the closing quarter.
A triple from Brizuela was followed by three consecutive buckets from Fall, who put Barcelona ahead 68-71. James took over with two baskets and an alley-oop dish for Georgios Papagiannis, who slammed it home for a 76-74 lead. Parker and Papagiannis exchanged threes before a basket from the latter allowed Monaco to maintain an 81-78 cushion heading into crunch time. Parker replied with a hard-fought layup and Punter buried a midrange jumper that put Barcelona back in front, 81-82. Then, Strazel and James scored inside, but Punter didn’t manage to drill a triple in the last possession, missing the opportunity to send his team to the Final Four.