Friday evening, during match 4 still in their room (the series of play-offs is played at the best of five games), the Monegasques will therefore play to avoid elimination in this competition which they discover.

They will have to be able to respond with more finesse and power to the very high level defense of the Greeks and play as they did in the last quarter.

But Monegasque awakening was too late.

Once again without Alpha Diallo, Sasa Obradovic had fewer weapons than his counterpart Georgios Bartzokas.

The start of the match was very tense.

The Greeks, reluctant to see the affront of match 2 reproduce (heavy defeat 96 to 72 in their room), have hardened the game from the start, like a foul on Mike James on the first action of the meeting, sanctioned by three free throws.

The Monegasque star was, however, fairly quickly limited, due to his two personal fouls in the first two minutes.

In front of the score after the first ten minutes (23-19), the Roca Team then suffered the next two quarters.

Under the impetus of Kostas Sloukas (21 points, 4 rebounds) and Thomas Walkup (13 points, 6 assists), Olympiakos tightened its defense, was more collective and took the lead at the break (45-41 ).

Five fouls for James

The abnegation of the Monegasques was not enough in the face of the opposing collective quality.

A slightly less incisive defense, a bench (Paris Lee, Danilo Andjusic, Donta Hall) less efficient, and Monaco had to spend the second period trying to improve this handicap by four units.

Even when the Monegasques came back tied (51-51, 24th) following Dwayne Bacon's third award-winning basket, they did not keep up.

Sasa Obradovic's players lost a bit of shooting efficiency in the middle of this quarter, like their star Mike James, against a very well-established Greek defense, and were immediately punished by the players more experienced from Olympiakos (71-56, 29th).

Monaco's American fullback Mike James outflanks his counterpart and Olympiakos compatriot Thomas Walkup, during match 1 of the Euroleague quarter-final against Monaco, on April 20, 2022 in Athens Angelos Tzortzinis AFP / Archives

Led by 13 points at the start of the last ten minutes, the Monegasques had a very nice reaction of pride, with a 24-9 to go back in front with the score a minute and a half from the buzzer (80-79, 38th), on an award-winning shot by Paris Lee.

But without James (13 points), released for a fifth foul late in the game, Monaco no longer had a trigger.

And the effort to pick up the score cost the Roca Team energy in the "money time".

Dwayne Bacon then Léo Westermann missed the target, while Thomas Walkup and finally Kostas Sloukas scored their free throws without shaking (87-83), while the start of the game had been complicated in this sector for Olympiakos.

The joy of Greek back Kostas Sloukas after Olympiakos' victory over Monaco in match 1 of the Euroleague quarter-final on April 20, 2022 in Athens Angelos Tzortzinis AFP / Archives

To become the third French club to play in a Euroleague Final 4, Monaco is now at the foot of the rock: the players will have to win on Friday, then go to overthrow Olympiakos in Piraeus, five days later in the boiling Stade de la Peace and Friendship.

© 2022 AFP