The point guard went joint second on the all-time scoring list with a commanding performance.
Special night for Mike James as aggressive Monaco subdued Partizan
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Regular Season
Round 24 of 34
Regular Season
AS MonacoASM
8570
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
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AS Monaco celebrated its first-ever Turkish Airlines EuroLeague win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade after iconic playmaker Mike James led the French side to an 85-70 victory over its Serbia opponent, scoring 19 points to hit a rare milestone.
James climbed to joint second in the competition’s all-time scoring list alongside LDLC ASVEL Villerbaunne guard Nando De Colo, tying the Frenchman’s tally of 4,383 career points and moving behind retired Greek legend Vassilis Spanoulis, who tops the chart on 4,455 points.
James’s individual accomplishment aside, Monaco improved to 14-10 and boosted its hopes of securing direct qualification for the playoffs, while Partizan’s bid to reach the postseason remained hanging in the balance as the Serbian club slipped to 12-12.
Having trailed 14-16 after the first quarter, Monaco nosed ahead in the second and held a slender lead until early in the fourth, when the hosts forced Partizan into submission with ironclad defense which stifled out the visitors.
James was at the heart of an 11-0 run which gave Monaco an unassailable 74-61 run midway through the final period, having hit a deep three-pointer which galvanized the home crowd and propelled the hosts in the closing stages.
Mike James chose to focus on the win
The 33-year-old native of Portland, Oregon, played down the significance of his personal achievement and stressed that it was all about facilitating Monaco’s championship bid.
“We’re just trying to gain some momentum and rhythm so we can get some wins,” James said in a flash post-game interview before then commenting on his milestone. “It’s more important to win. When I retire it will be something I’ll look back at and take some pride in, but right now the objective is to win games and try to get to the championship.”
Monaco grabbed 10 offensive boards more than Partizan (17-7) and also forced 16 turnovers from the visitors, who only managed 13 assists. The home team had 15 assists and a mere 6 turnovers, while it also managed 7 steals as its aggressive approach had Partizan on the back foot.
The importance of this win
The mindset pleased Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic, who praised his team for a gritty performance and singled out James for his unselfish approach at both ends of the court. “Every win in the EuroLeague is huge and we really had to work hard for this one,” Obradovic said.
“It was like a playoff game and a fight for every possession, we were stronger in the last quarter, especially defensively. I am proud of the team and it’s visible that we are improving with each game.”
“We did a great job as a team and we’re raising our game to another level. I am really happy for Mike and it has to be noted that he also did a great job defensively. This year he is even more mature than before and it’s a real pleasure to coach the likes of him.”
Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic underscored that Monaco was much more aggressive, adding that losing the battle in the paint was crucial.
“They had 20 possessions more than us and that gave them a barrage of second-chance shots,” he said. “We have to learn from this defeat and some of the players must understand that they need to do a lot more. Again, I must thank our fans who turned up here tonight.”