Ouattara started the job for Monaco and Loyd finished it

Jordan Loyd will receive most of the headlines after inspiring AS Monaco’s series-tying 86-74 victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and that’s only fair as the guard set a new personal high by scoring 33 points.

But a significant slice of the credit should also be given to a surprise hero: Yakuba Ouattara. The 31-year-old, who is in the fourth season of his second spell with Monaco, did not feature at all in Game 1 on Tuesday. And that wasn’t particularly surprising because he had been a role player throughout the season, scoring just 3.6 points per game in an average of around 10 minutes on the floor.

So it raised a few eyebrows when Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic named Ouattara in his starting five, something that had only happened on 11 occasions during the regular season. But Ouattara immediately responded by scoring a three-pointer on his team’s first possession, before forcing Maccabi into a turnover and then adding another strike from deep, giving him all the points in a 6-0 opening burst.

Then it was time for Loyd to take over as he followed a three-pointer with a layup in the space of 16 seconds, taking Monaco into an 11-0 start with less than 3 minutes played. And that one-two combination – Ouattara starting the job, Loyd finishing it – proved to be the story of the night as the Roca Team dominated nearly all the game to level the series.

In fact, the second half started with exactly the same two players excelling, turning a narrow-as-possible 42-41 interval lead into a commanding double-digit advantage as Loyd (6 points) and Ouattara (4) played the main part in a 15-3 run that made it 57-44, giving Monaco a comfortable cushion that would never really come close to being relinquished.

Ouattara finished with 12 points in just 12 minutes, making 3 of his 4 two-point attempts and 2-of-3 from three-point range. It was the sixth-highest points tally of his 59-game EuroLeague career, and the first time he had passed double digits in scoring since Round 22, showing that not only the usual suspects are capable of delivering game-winning contributions.

Loyd, though, is very much expected to lead Monaco’s challenge and he fulfilled those demands perfectly on Thursday, finishing with 33 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting from two-point range, 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 from the foul line. He also added 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals for a PIR of 36.

After the game, both guards were understated in their celebrations, fully aware that an even bigger test comes next week with the need to win either Game 3 or 4 – or ideally both – in Tel Aviv.

“We know this is just one game,” said Loyd. “This is what we’re supposed to do. We’re not satisfied, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re ready to go to Tel Aviv and do the same thing.”

Ouattara added: “That was very important for us to make a big statement on toughness. That was the biggest adjustment we made from the first game. We have to be ready mentally. We go over there for war, and be ready.”

Thanks to Ouattara and Loyd, Monaco was certainly more than ready on Thursday night.