After a balanced first half, Vassilis Spanoulis's side returned to the floor in the second half ready to roll
Monaco's second-half focus led to Game 1 victory over Barcelona
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After three consecutive Game 1 losses in as many years, AS Monaco finally opened a playoff series with a victory, downing FC Barcelona 97-80 to lead a 1-0 lead.
It was not as easy as the final scoreboard shows, as Barca led 44-45 in the opening minute of the second half. That is when Monaco's defense finally clicked, which led to higher percentages on offense.
Three-point defense after the break was one of the biggest keys to this game. After both teams hit 6-of-13 three-pointers (46.2% 3FG) in the first half, Monaco kept hitting long-distance shots after the break, downing 6-of-15 triples (40% 3FG), whereas Barca was limited to just 1-of-9 makes from downtown (11.1% 3FG).
Monaco took excellent care of the ball, getting more steals (9) than turnovers (8). It also finished the game with 21 assists, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.63. On the other hand, Barca had 18 turnovers, 9 in each half, and only dished 11 assists, a new season-low. It previously dished 12 assists against Real Madrid in a 96-91 loss in Round 27.
Monaco had 13 second-half assists, which allowed coach Vassilis Spanoulis's team to improve its two-point shooting percentage. Monaco hit just 7-of-18 two-point shots before the halftime interval (38.9% 2FG), and went on to down 16-of-22 shots inside the arc (72.7% 2FG) after the break. Steals and better ball circulation allowed Monaco to win the game.
"In the second half, I think we played incredible defense at the level that my players and our team can play, and at the level that I wanted against a super talented team, one of the best offensive teams in Europe," Spanoulis said after the game. "It's important that we played good basketball and took the lead in the series, but this doesn't mean anything. We've already started to prepare the second game."