Diallo, Mirotic, Strazel lead balanced attack as hosts roll to fourth straight win
Monaco’s balanced attack buries slumping Partizan
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 20 of 38
Regular Season
AS MonacoASM
10184
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
Overview
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AS Monaco strengthened its grip near the top of the EuroLeague standings with a 101-84 home victory over struggling Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Tuesday night at Salle Gaston Medecin, extending its winning streak to four games.
Alpha Diallo led a remarkably balanced attack with 14 points as six Monaco players scored in double figures and all 11 who dressed found the scoresheet. Nikola Mirotic and Matt Strazel added 13 points apiece, while Mike James orchestrated the offense with 11 points and 8 assists. Sterling Brown poured in 19 for Partizan, which dropped its fifth straight to fall to 6-14.
Monaco’s perimeter shooting immediately separated the teams and never really allowed Partizan to feel comfortable. The hosts drilled 6 of 9 three-pointers in the first quarter to open a 28-21 lead, repeatedly punishing late closeouts and defensive breakdowns. Mirotic then pushed the margin into double figures with the first two baskets of the second quarter as Monaco continued to move the ball crisply and attack mismatches.
By halftime, Monaco’s control of the game showed up everywhere on the stat sheet. It led 54-39 at the break and dominated the glass 18-8, including 5-1 in offensive rebounds, turning those extra possessions into a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points. The ball movement was equally striking: Monaco held a 12-6 edge in assists at the half, a precursor to a 22-15 final tally.
The margin swelled to 21 in the third quarter before Partizan finally mounted a response. Veteran playmaker Nick Calathes engineered a 0-10 run that briefly revived the visitors’ hopes, as Partizan increased its defensive pressure and found some rhythm in transition.
Monaco, however, absorbed the punch and then reasserted control. A 10-3 burst to open the fourth quarter restored a comfortable cushion, and although Partizan continued to fight, the outcome was never seriously in doubt the rest of the way. The hosts finished the night with a 32-21 rebounding advantage and a resounding 15-0 edge in second-chance points, while also winning the points-off-turnovers battle 28-23 after leading 17-9 in that category at halftime.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis highlighted his team’s two-way commitment and unselfishness as the foundation of the performance: “We were good on both ends of the floor,” he said. “When we share the ball and we play together, we are a different team. I am satisfied and now we have a very important game against Valencia.”
Spanoulis noted that the team needed a few minutes to rediscover its rhythm after a week without games, but once it did, the offense flowed through its guards and spacing.
“After a couple of minutes, we found our rhythm. We started to share the ball and play our game. We had amazing, amazing creation from our guards. Everybody played amazing in his role, and we were very good both ways, except for a couple of moments in the first quarter and a couple of moments in the third quarter, but overall, I’m very satisfied.”
Diallo underlined the group’s resilience after a difficult lead-in to the game: “We played a 40-minute game,” he said. “We came out really sluggish. First game of the new year. Half the team was sick for a few days, so a lot of guys were questionable, including me. Just to come out here and get our second wind and get a win on our home court is important.”
James continued his remarkable all-around run; his 11 points and 8 assists marked his 15th consecutive game with a performance index rating of at least 10 and his 17th straight outing with 5 or more assists.<br> Mirotic, meanwhile, added another historical milestone to the night. By knocking down 2 three-pointers, he moved past Arturas Milaknis into 13th place on the all-time EuroLeague list with 462 career triples.
Strazel’s perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc epitomized Monaco’s collective marksmanship. In all, 10 different Monaco players made a three-pointer as the team finished an astonishing 15-for-25 from long range, a display of depth and spacing that Partizan’s weary defense simply could not match.
Partizan head coach Joan Penarroya was blunt in his assessment: “We played bad in the first half,” he admitted. “I think we improved, especially in the third quarter, but it’s not enough.”
Despite Brown’s 19 points and the third-quarter spark, Partizan’s fifth straight loss leaves it deeper in trouble at the bottom of the standings. Monaco, by contrast, leaves the night with momentum preserved, its winning streak extended, and its collective identity – unselfish, deep and disciplined – reinforced ahead of another key clash against Valencia.
