Monaco's James earned plaudits for leadership from his coach
AS Monaco star Mike James had averaged 18.2 points and a 19.5 performance index rating through the first 15 games of the season. In the last two games before Tuesday, however, those numbers had dropped to 4.5 points and -1 PIR. Meanwhile, he had made just 3 of 25 three-point attempts going back three games.
So when James started out Tuesday with a -10 PIR while missing 2 three-pointers, committing 3 turnovers, and seeing his team fall behind 10-24 to visiting Olympiacos, it seemed that his slump was going to continue.
But James turned his luck around with an incredible second-quarter show that jump-started Monaco towards an eventual 64-60 victory to hold onto first place.
His 3 three-pointers in less than a minute and a fourth one before halftime brought Monaco all the way back to within 31-34 at the break. The comeback was on, and James was part of it until the victory was complete. His floater in the lane gave Monaco the lead for good at 61-59 and he finished the game with a breakaway dunk just before the buzzer.
James would finish with a team-high 19 points, a PIR of 8 despite his early deficit, and accolades for his leadership from Monaco head coach Saso Obradovic.
"From this year and the previous year, I think tonight was the best leadership we got from him," Obradovic said. "The previous games, he lost the temper and didn't come back. Today, that was not the case. He is our key player, and if he has this kind of approach, a lot of things are really going to open up for us. Even when things were not well, you didn't see someone throwing chairs and bottles. You saw someone stand up for the team, supporting the team. I told him this after the game, that this is the best way to lead the team."
Game Videos
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FC Barcelona-AS Monaco | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
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Diallo's big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:13
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James finds Theis! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Blossomgame's two-handed dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:23
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Kostas Papanikolaou: 'We want to go all the way'
- 01:18
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Evan Fournier: 'We're getting closer to our goal'
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
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Vezenkov hits a crucial three! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:16
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Hezonja dunks off the baseline! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
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Peters’s dunk on the break! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:05
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Fall monster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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FC Barcelona-AS Monaco | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
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Diallo's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
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Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
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Wright rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Lee’s two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:24
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Nikola Milutinov: 'We know Real Madrid is capable of coming back from 0-2'
- 00:31
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'We go to finish the series on Tuesday'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:27
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Monaco Showtime! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:56
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Alpha Diallo: 'It's really hard to beat us'
- 01:15
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Mam Jaiteh: 'If we play like this defensively, we will do good'
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AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Tarpey’s big driving dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:25
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Milutinov rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:28
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Jaiteh’s poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
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From defense to slam-dunk offense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Jaiteh’s diving hustle! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
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Diallo’s chasedown block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:50
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Nikola Milutinov: 'We have to stay humble'
- 00:45
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'Real Madrid will come ready to play in Game 2'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
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Tarpey's big block! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/a858182f-8b6e-4c92-bdf3-f9b0e8f202cc.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A118%3A52]()
McKissic skies for a ferocious slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
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Daniel Theis: 'Matthew Strazel sets the tone for our defense'
- 00:55
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Elie Okobo: 'We showed great character today'
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AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Fall detonates the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Milutinov rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Theis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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James turns defense into offense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:56
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Mike James: 'We can celebrate a little bit'
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-AS Monaco | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:15
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Moses Wright: 'It's great to be back on the court'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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The EuroLeague & Friends gang are joined by Nick Calathes for episode 22
- 01:37
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Alec Peters: 'Career high, but what's sticking with me are the zero rebounds'
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/be6165dc-c29e-4868-b8a1-699d05fd43f5.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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AS Monaco-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:24
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Jaron Blossomgame: 'We played Monaco basketball’
