Maccabi stopped Monaco's running game
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv struck first in its best-of-five series against AS Monaco, as it downed the French side 67-79 on the road on Tuesday. Maccabi took a 0-1 lead and now has the upper hand in this series. In Game 1 at Salle Gaston Medecin, being really physical was the main key.
Maccabi outrebounded Monaco 32-38. The hosts ranked first for offensive rebounds at the end of the regular season, averaging 12.4 per night, yet Maccabi only allowed Monaco to pull down 6 offensive rebounds as it grabbed 29 defensive boards. In other words, Maccabi got 82.9% of all rebounds under its own rim. Monaco finished the game with 26 defensive rebounds, and Maccabi got 9 offensive boards. Monaco only grabbed 74.3% of all rebounds around its basket.
Sasa Obradovic's side also struggled from beyond the arc, which was another key to Maccabi's victory. It downed 4-of-26 three-pointers, which is Monaco's lowest three-point shooting percentage at Salle Gaston Medecin in any EuroLeague game since joining the competition two years ago. Its previous lowest mark was 21.7% against Olympiacos in Game 4 of the 2022 playoffs. Maccabi, meanwhile, sank 7-of-23 three-pointers (30.4%), which was not perfect but it was good enough to make the difference.
