AS Monaco ignited its debut appearance in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs with a 0-20 second quarter run at Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday night, providing the foundation for a hugely impressive 72-96 victory that tied the series 1-1.
Telling numbers: Monaco's historic 0-20 run decided Game 2
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The visiting team's offense was obviously on fire during that game-changing run, which saw the men from the principality convert 8 field goals attempts without a single miss in less than 5 minutes, turning a 21-15 deficit into a 21-35 lead that was never seriously threatened after that.
It was a real team effort, with six different players scoring, led by Yakuba Ouattara with a pair of three-pointers for his only shots and all his 6 points of the game.
But it wasn't just about offense: Monaco also produced swarming defense to destroy Olympiacos's efforts to score during that run. Over the same 5 minutes, the Reds were denied decent looks at the basket and missed 5 consecutive shots while also being forced into 5 turnovers – contributing to their 20 total turnovers for the game.
Monaco's spectacular run wasn't just decisive on Friday night: it also tied the third-best in the playoffs since 2007, matching 20-0 runs by Panathinaikos Athens against Real Madrid in 2018 and by AX Armani Exchange Milan last season against FC Bayern Munich. The only better runs were 22-0, achieved by Real Madrid against Olympiacos in 2009 and Panathinaikos against Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2012.
