LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's dream for a French League three-peat remained alive after beating AS Monaco 68-85 in Game 4 of their best-of-five finals series, tying it at 2-2. The deciding Game 5 will take place in Villeurbanne on Saturday, when either ASVEL will become the first team in more than three decades to win three consecutive titles, or Monaco will win its first ever French League crown.
In this game, ASVEL stormed out of the gate scoring the first 7 points, and opening the game with a 2-12 run during which Elie Okobo had a three-point play. Mike James tried to get Monaco going and scored 7 first-quarter points, but Okobo, David Lighty and James Gist helped ASVEL open 9-22 lead after 10 minutes, then a triple from Chris Jones made it 11-27 early in the second quarter. Paris Lee ended Monaco's drought, before James and Dwayne Bacon scored all points in a 9-0 run to cut it to 23-30. But in the final 3 minutes of the half, William Howard knocked down a pair of three-pointers, including the one that made it 28-41 at halftime.