AS Monaco strengthened its EuroLeague play-in hopes with an 81-76 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Wednesday at Salle Gaston Medecin in a tightly contested French derby.
The result lifted Monaco to 20-16 in the standings and into eighth place, keeping the club in the play-in zone after two consecutive road defeats had threatened its postseason chances.
Matthew Strazel set the early tone for the hosts, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter and finishing with 22 to match his EuroLeague career high.
The guard connected on two early three-pointers that helped Monaco establish a 7-2 start before the home side carried a 46-36 lead into halftime.
Elie Okobo delivered one of the most complete performances of the night, recording 16 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and eight assists while shooting 6-for-8 inside the arc.
The French guard’s lone three-pointer proved decisive, arriving late in the fourth quarter to push Monaco ahead after ASVEL had trimmed the deficit to two possessions.
Monaco controlled much of the game through balanced offense and rebounding, finishing with 25 assists and a 44-31 advantage on the boards despite the absence of Daniel Theis.
An exchange of baskets in the third quarter allowed the Principality club to maintain momentum and enter the final period with a 62-47 lead.
ASVEL responded with a late surge behind Braian Angola, who drilled a three-pointer with 2:41 remaining to cut the deficit to 74-71.
Strazel answered with a layup on the next possession, but Angola connected again from long range to bring the visitors within two points at 76-74.
Strazel and Paul Eboua each converted two free throws to stabilize Monaco before Okobo created separation with a step-back three-pointer in the final seconds.
Strazel and Okobo combined for 12 of Monaco’s 17 fourth-quarter points as the hosts managed the closing possessions to secure the win.
Angola led ASVEL with 26 points, while Shaquille Harrison added 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
Paris Lee contributed 11 points for the visitors, who fell to 8-28 and remain at the bottom of the EuroLeague standings.
Monaco now turns its attention to a crucial home matchup against Barcelona on April 10 before hosting Hapoel Tel Aviv on April 17.
ASVEL closes its regular season schedule with home games against Crvena Zvezda on April 10 and Fenerbahce on April 16.
