Monaco's turnovers and takeaways
Taking care of the basketball is a main emphasis for every head coach ahead of any game. When it comes down to limiting turnovers or causing problems in that department for opponents, no team has been doing a better job this season than AS Monaco. Through 34 regular season rounds, head coach Sasa Obradovic's men have committed a league-low 10.6 turnovers per game. Monaco held its turnover total to single digits in 14 games, which is tied with its playoff opponent, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, for the best in the league. Maccabi ranked fourth in the regular season, and second among playoff teams, with 11.2 turnovers per game, which makes their series even more intriguing.
However, Monaco is also the team that has done the best job in the EuroLeague in forcing turnovers. When playing against Monaco, opposing teams have averaged 14.4 turnovers. Monaco enters the playoffs second with 7.3 steals per game as Alpha Diallo (1.4), John Brown (1.3) and Jordan Loyd (1.2) all ranking in among the top 10 individuals in steals. Throw in the fact that Monaco has a 9-1 record in games when it dished more assists than the opposition, and it is pretty clear which are some of the key stats to watch for the team from the principality.
Barcelona's three-point proficiency
Only 15 of the 30 players who shot 40.0% or better from three-point range during the regular season will be in the playoffs. Four apiece come from FC Barcelona (40.3% 3FG) and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (39.6%), the top two teams in three-point accuracy. There are no such players from Barcelona's playoff opponent, Zalgiris Kaunas (ninth, 36.4%), nor from AS Monaco (31.7%), which ranked last in the regular season. Not just best in accuracy, Barcelona also ranks fourth in three-point shots made, and with 10.1 per game as the only playoff team in double digits. What's the most interesting, however, is that Barcelona was even better at shooting from downtown while playing on the road, averaging 11.3 triples on 42.7% shooting away from home, by far the best in the league.
Eight different Barcelona players have made at least 20 triples this season, even though one of EuroLeague's best sharpshooters, Kyle Kuric, is not among them, having made 16 triples in his 17 appearances. Nicolas Laprovittola averages 2.1 per game and Nikola Mirotic 2.0, while Tomas Satoransky (50.8%) and Alex Abrines (49.1%) rank second and third in three-point accuracy, respectively. Three-point shooting is Barcelona's big weapon this season, and it will be interesting to see how long will the team manage to ride it.
