2021-22Regular SeasonRound 1
September 30, 2021 CET: 19:00
Local time: 19:00 SALLE GASTON MEDECIN

Monaco beats Panathinaikos in EuroLeague debut

AS Monaco enjoyed a sweet Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut by beating visiting Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 75-63 in the season-opening game at Salle Gaston Medecin on Thursday evening. The hosts dominated from the very beginning, building a 22-15 advantage in the first quarter and never looking back. The margin increased little by little in the second half to a maximum of 22 points midway through the last quarter, which allowed Monaco to enjoy an early celebration with its fans despite a late 0-10 late run by the Greens. Danilo Andjusic had a career-high 17 points in just 14 minutes to lead five Monaco scorers in double digits. Mike James scored 11 points and Paris Lee, Donatas Motiejunas and Donta Hall had 10 apiece. Ioannis Papapetrou set the tone for Panathinaikos with 16 points and 6 rebounds, followed by Daryl Macon Jr. with 13 points in the losing effort.


James ignited the hosts in the early going with a dunk and a deep three-pointer for a 5-0 lead. Papapetrou took over for Panathinaikos, but Monaco found solutions from inside with Motiejunas for a 10-7 lead midway through the first quarter. James launched the hosts’ escape attempt, 15-7, with a powerful steal and slam. The visitors’ answer came soon from the hands of Papapetrou, Macon and Okaro White, who made it 15-14. However, 5 straight points by Andjusic and free throws by Alpha Diallo closed the first quarter with the home team up 22-15. Will Thomas built the first double-digit with a three right after the game resumed. Andjusic made it even better for the home side, 30-17, with a couple of free throws and a corner three. The Greens tried to fire back taking advantage of Papapetrou and Georgios Papagiannis’s experience, but no one else joined and Monaco needed not much to keep a safe margin. The offensive game of both teams slowed down from then on, as nobody managed to score a single field goal in the final 3 minutes of the half and Monaco went into the locker room ahead 38-28.

The teams traded baskets after the break. Ibrahima Faye, Lee and James combined to again punish Panathinaikos and amass a 48-33 advantage after 25 minutes. The visitors struggled on offense, unable to break the trend. Hall took advantage to score 6 points in a row and turn the red lights on the visitors’ control panel, 54-37, right before Jehyve Floyd showed up to help his team keep breathing at 56-44 entering the last quarter. Monaco suffocated Panathinaikos's attempt to come back with Leo Westermann and Andjusic running the show. Thomas restored a 17-point margin, 64-47, with a reverse jumper. The visitors tried to stop it with a timeout, but little changed. Another three-point dagger by James, two inside buckets by Motiejunas and a pair of free throws by Lee made it 73-51 with 5 minutes remaining, making clear that nothing could prevent the hosts from claiming their first EuroLeague win ever.

What a convincing debut!

The reigning 7DAYS EuroCup champion enjoyed a magical night on their EuroLeague premiere. They showed no mercy against mighty Panathinaikos and dominated the game from end to end. Mike James got the hosts going with a dunk and a three-pointer as Monaco never trailed for the 40 minutes.

Monaco’s backcourt rules

The hosts found a key offensive contribution from its backcourt, as Mike James, Leo Westermann, Paris Lee and Danilo Andjusic combined for 46 out of Monaco’s 75 points. On the other side, Nemanja Nedovic finished scoreless while playing just 12 minutes.

No threes, no party

Panathinaikos's offensive problems were obvious, as the Greens barely reached 60 points. It was even more significant when it came to outside shooting. They made 4 out of 20 attempts (20%). Monaco made 9 of 21 (42.8%).

Key stat

AS Monaco shared the ball pretty well, logging in 18 assists. Mike James, Paris Lee and Leo Westermann combined for 13. The Greens amassed just 7 as a team.

What's next?

In Round 2 next week, AS Monaco will hit the road to face UNICS in Kazan on Thursday, October 7. Panathinaikos will try to score its first win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at home the same day.

Mike James - AS Monaco - EB21
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Euroleague.net
Referees: HIERREZUELO, DANIEL; JOVCIC, MILIVOJE; CLIVAZ, SEBASTIEN
Attendance: 2151
By Quarter1234
AS Monaco22161819
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens15131619
End of Quarter1234
AS Monaco22385675
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens15284463
AS Monaco
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
5 LEE, PARIS 18:33 10 1/3 2/4 2/2 1   1 5 1       2 3 14
9 WESTERMANN, LEO 21:59 8 1/2 1/1 3/3   2 2 4 1 2 1 1 2 1 11
10 THOMAS, WILL 22:28 5 1/4 1/4   1 3 4   1     1 1 1 3
11 DIALLO, ALPHA 22:47 2 0/2 0/1 2/2 1 3 4     1     1 1 2
12 MOTUM, BROCK 2:41   0/1                   1 1   -3
16 BOUTSIELE, JERRY 13:29   0/1     1 3 4           2   1
20 MOTIEJUNAS, DONATAS 16:55 10 5/8     1 2 3 3   2 1   2   10
24 OUATTARA, YAKUBA 12:11   0/2 0/1   1   1   1     1 1   -3
28 FAYE, IBRAHIMA 14:51 2 1/2       3 3         1     3
33 ANDJUSIC, DANILO 14:31 17 1/4 4/4 3/5   1 1 2   2     1 4 16
45 HALL, DONTA 9:36 10 5/7     1 4 5       2   2 1 14
55 JAMES, MIKE 29:59 11 3/6 1/6 2/5 1 5 6 4 2       2 5 15
Team           1 4 5               5
Totals 200:00 75 18/42 9/21 12/17 9 30 39 18 6 7 4 5 17 16 88
        42.9% 42.9% 70.6%
Head coach: MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 PERRY, KENDRICK 20:02   0/6 0/4   2 3 5 2   3   2 3 1 -10
5 MACON JR, DARYL 19:13 13 2/2 3/5     1 1 3   1     4 1 11
6 PAPAGIANNIS, GEORGIOS 24:49 8 4/9     4 7 11     1 1   3 2 13
7 BOCHORIDIS, ELEFTHERIOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 KAVVADAS, VASILIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 PAPAPETROU, IOANNIS 33:46 16 7/13 0/3 2/3 3 3 6 2       1 2 4 15
14 KASELAKIS, LEONIDAS 10:02 4 2/2       5 5               9
15 WHITE, OKARO 24:17 4 2/5     2 3 5       2 1 2 3 8
20 FLOYD, JEHYVE 15:11 8 3/5   2/5 3 3 6     1 1     3 12
26 NEDOVIC, NEMANJA 11:51   0/3 0/3             1     2 1 -8
40 EVANS, JEREMY 15:43 4 2/3 0/1                   1   1
74 SANT-ROOS, HOWARD 25:06 6 1/2 1/3 1/2       1 2 1 1   1 2 6
Team           3 1 4               4
Totals 200:00 63 23/50 4/19 5/10 17 26 43 8 2 8 5 4 18 17 61
        46% 21.1% 50%
Head coach: PRIFTIS, DIMITRIS

Head Coaches

MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN
AS Monaco
"Like I said, before the game we had huge excitement. We had to take the pressure under control, mentally. In the game my players played very smart, my staff did a great job analyzing Panathinaikos, especially on defense, even though we had not much time to prepare for the game. Maybe I feel surprised by how we won the game. I wouldn’t say easily, but this way."
PRIFTIS, DIMITRIS
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
"For us, the game was very bad in the beginning, I would say we struggled offensively. We had a lack of creation, not good passing, sometimes we were very static and unfortunately when we created open shots we didn’t make them. We have to help ourselves on offense because on defense I have no complaints, but you have to play on both ends. Maybe we had a little bit of pressure, but we need to fix this."

Players

ANDJUSIC, DANILO
AS Monaco

"We didn’t have stress, we didn’t feel nervous, because we have a team in which there are a bunch of players with a lot of experience playing at this level. We prepared ourselves to be ready to play at this level. Of course, it’s a big thing for everybody, for the club, and I’m glad that we got the win on the opening night. We are a new team, all the team is new and we still need time to get to know each other, to get better, but we can achieve good things if we keep playing like this. Even last season, when Monaco won the EuroCup, it was known as a great defensive team so that’s what we try to do this season: to make easy points in transition coming from that defense and share the ball. I think the guys did a great job of that tonight and that’s our signature, what we want to do every game. We have great guys in the team, got great chemistry from the start of the preseason and that’s one of the most important things."

"It’s a great feeling and a good sign. We kept playing, like I said at halftime, we played good defense for the whole game and it was the key for this win. We got to keep playing like this. This is a big thing for the club, and for the country of Monaco, so I’m happy for everybody, and for the team. Of course, we have to keep working and keep doing things like this because I think we have a great team and I think we can achieve good things this season."

JAMES, MIKE
AS Monaco
"We got a nice win over a big team and, you know, it’s always good to start off the season with a win. We played well today, everybody can share the ball and it was a great team effort. That was a good win to have."
PAPAPETROU, IOANNIS
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
"We take responsibility for the defeat. We did not present the image we want. Last year we won the first away game and finished 16th in the standings. It is a long way, we must use this defeat for good. We are a new team. Nothing is an excuse. Many kids are competing in the EuroLeague for the first time and they want to prove things from the first moment. But, you cannot conquer everything from day 1. It is a marathon; we must use the game and turn it for the best. We are not happy, it was not a good day. I believe in the team very much, if I did not believe in it I would not be here. I believe that this team can be competitive in any game. Today we had a bad result."
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