Perfect trio sent Monaco to playoffs

AS Monaco became the fourth team to qualify for the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs after defeating Valencia Basket 90-79 on Friday night. The home team managed to amass a 17-point advantage midway through the third period and, despite Valencia reducing the gap to 4 points early in the fourth, 73-69, Monaco sealed the outcome much earlier than the final buzzer after holding the visitors scoreless for the next four minutes.
Monaco made the most of crucial possessions and was more effective when it mattered most. In particular, the effectiveness of players such as Donta Hall, Jaron Blossomgame and Matthew Strazel helped Monaco get over the line.
Strazel was the solution for Monaco’s struggles from deep, going a perfect 3-for-3 on three-pointers. Blossomgame was also perfect from two-point range, hitting all 3 of his attempts inside the arc en route to 14 points in the game. And finally, Donta Hall registered an enviable stat line after shooting 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line, while he also added 13 boards.
Hall finished as the MVP of the game with a PIR of 26, and he was pretty satisfied when the game was over. “Honestly, after a win, we feel great," he recognized. “We knew, coming into this game, what we needed to do, what kind of energy we needed to bring, and I think that we burned it tonight. I do my thing, I come out and fight, like the other 12 or 13 guys do, no matter what.”