Mike James, Elie Okobo and Donatas Motiejunas all shined in Round 2
The usual suspects lifted Monaco over Maccabi
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AS Monaco made several changes to its roster over the summer, bringing in a few new pieces destined for big roles, but it was the guys who have been the faces of this club for the last few years who did the job on Wednesday night.
In an 85-79 win over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, the top three scorers were Mike James, Elie Okobo and Donatas Motiejunas, each pulling Monaco towards the win in different moments of the game.
James scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, with Monaco trailing 23-33 before the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP stepped up by sinking a triple, taking it to the rim, and serving teammates with assists. He also finished the night with 6 assists and 3 steals.
Motiejunas scored 9 of his 11 points in a key 10-2 third-quarter run that saw the team finally take a 53-52 lead.
And then there was Okobo, who was scoreless in the first half but scored 17 points in the second, including nine in the final quarter.
"The first half was terrible, was not that good energy-wise. I did not have a good first half at all," Okobo told EuroLeague TV afterward. "We talked about it in the locker room, we had to step up with our energy, and I think it showed in the second half."
"I think it is a great way for us to start," James commented after Monaco improved to 2-0. "With me not being 100 percent, and [Nick Calathes and Furkan Korkmaz] being out, it is amazing we start with two wins. It buys us time to get healthy."
James continued by stating what he expects from the team: "We have to establish a baseline of how we want to play, and how we want to be as a team. The second half we picked it up a little bit and hopefully we can keep building on that."