After a sloppy start and an early double-digit deficit, it was the 26-year-old who kept giving Monaco a spark on both ends of the floor.
Alpha Diallo showcased how he makes 'good things happen'
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When one thinks about AS Monaco, it is the team's superstar backcourt that first comes to mind, headed by Mike James and with Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd and Kemba Walker alongside him. However, the strength of this team is also its depth and the way in which so many pieces on the roster can step up on any given night.
One of the players never to be overlooked is swingman Alpha Diallo. On Friday, in the French League derby against a much-improved LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, it was the 26-year-old who led Monaco to an 80-70 win, the team's fifth straight.
Diallo's performance, a 21-point effort, was much needed because Monaco found itself in a hole, down 11 points before the end of the first quarter against a confident opponent.
"We cannot enter a EuroLeague game so sloppy,” Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic said after the game. "Without energy, without intensity."
Alpha Diallo to the rescue
But there was Diallo to make things better. He opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, then capped an 11-0 run late in the second with back-to-back triples that gave Monaco a 39-34 lead.
After ASVEL rallied and went in front again, Diallo showed up on offense once more.
His back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter put Monaco in front, 64-63, then in the penultimate minute of the game Diallo had a four-point play, knocking down a triple while drawing a personal foul from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. It opened a 75-68 margin and Monaco never looked back.
When all was said and done, Diallo did not just have a good game shooting from long range, but he tied a club record after making 6 three-pointers on 9 attempts. In addition to his 21 points, he also led the team with 9 rebounds and 3 steals.
Kind words from Coach Obradovic
After the victory, he got praise from Coach Obradovic, but not for his three-point shooting.
"That's not something to expect every night", Obradovic said about Diallo's 6 triples. "Maybe you expect Jordan [Loyd] to do it, and I think that will come for him, too. It is only a matter of time until he catches his best rhythm.
"Diallo definitely plays both sides of the ball. We are giving him freedom. He was never a ball creator before, but I gave him an opportunity as a third point guard to run the play. He is a very ambitious, very smart guy who can read the game."
However, Obradovic pointed out that it's what Diallo does on defense that makes him hard to replace on this Monaco team.
"It is a big thing, being a lockdown defender,” Coach Obradovic added. “You know that good things will happen if you play him.” And good things certainly did happen for Diallo and Monaco on Friday night.