The Greek center had a telling contribution in the latter stages of the game
Georgios Papagiannis was instrumental in Monaco's wild comeback at Efes
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AS Monaco had Georgios Papagiannis to thank, among others, as it grabbed its fifth win in the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season on Friday night by downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul 69-81.
Despite winning by 12 points, it wasn't quite as simple as the final result would suggest. Efes led for the large part of the game and used a 13-2 run capped by Ercan Osmani's dunk to get a double-digit lead, 58-48, with less than 12 minutes left.
Up until that point, Efes had outrebounded Monaco 32-18, hitting 11-of-23 two-pointers (47.8%), 9-of-21 three-pointers (42.8%) and 9-of-10 free throws (90%), Monaco had struggled inside the arc, hitting just 10-of-27 two-pointers (37.0%) and dishing 12 assists to Efes's 18.
Vitto Brown was the first player to really step up for Monaco, hitting a three-pointer late in the third quarter and a rainbow floater at the start of the fourth period. He quickly found help from Alpha Diallo and Elie Okobo to make Monaco regain a 60-61 edge with under 7 minutes left. Mike James also played a key role, scoring all six points in a 0-6 run, including a rare corner triple off the glass.
When it was time to deliver, Papagiannis came to the fore with a big three-pointer, a vital tip-in, a blocked shot on Elijah Bryant and a one-handed slam on the very next offensive set which effectively sealed the outcome, 67-76, with under a minute remaining.
Monaco outscored Efes 11-33 in the final 11 minutes and defense was the biggest key to its comeback. In the final 11 minutes, Efes hit just 5-of-12 two-pointers (41.7%) and 0-of-5 three-pointers and being heavily outrebounded by Monaco, 5-13, when it mattered most.
On the other hand, the guests hit 9-of-13 two-pointers (69.2%) and 3-of-6 triples (50%), getting 5 assists and just 1 turnover. Monaco had as many offensive rebounds, 5, in the final 11 minutes than in the previous 29.
"I think defensively we were doing a good job. Efes has a great offensive team and generally as a team, they are really good," Papagiannis told EuroLeague TV after the game. "We were not making the shots in the first half. We made some important ones in the second half and we got the important win.
"As a team, we are not shooting that well. We are still trying to get on our spots, get some free open three-point shots. It is going to come to our moments and we are going to make them. And it's going to be important for us."
Papagiannis finished the game with a season-high 15 points, Jordan Loyd had 14 while James added 12 for Monaco.
"This is a team win, with contribution from many players who stepped on the floor, especially in the second half. Defensively, we were great in the last quarter and didn't allow them any easy shot after the first half, so I'm really happy," Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic said after the game.
"Everybody who stepped on the court gave us something, especially on defense. We scored in the end, which also gave us confidence to play in defense."