Nanterre tied the semifinal series against AS Monaco with a major comeback in Monaco
Nanterre 92 brought uncertainty back into the semifinals of the French basketball championship after defeating AS Monaco 98:89 on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at the Gaston Médecin arena. According to AS Monaco's official report, the visitors recovered from a deficit that reached 12 points during the game and tied the series at 1:1. L'Équipe confirmed the result, the date of the game, and the status of the series in its match report, as Nanterre erased the early advantage Monaco had gained by winning the first game. The encounter had a clear dramatic arc: Monaco controlled most of the evening, but Nanterre completely changed the rhythm in the final quarter, won the last ten minutes 36:18, and finished the game with a 19:4 run. Such an outcome is especially important because the semifinal is played over several games, and the next meeting is scheduled in Nanterre, where the home team will have the chance to confirm that the comeback in the Principality was not an isolated flash.
Monaco had the game in its hands, Nanterre patiently waited for the hosts to drop off
According to AS Monaco's club report, the home team led 23:19 after the first quarter and had a 53:41 lead at halftime. During that period, it looked as though Monaco had found a way to punish Nanterre's defense, especially through outside shooting and the individual quality of Elie Okobo, Jaron Blossomgame, and Yoan Makoundou. The team from the Principality, led in the final stretch of the season by Sergii Gladyr and Manuchar Markoishvili, entered the game without several important players, and before the match AS Monaco stated that Nikola Mirotić, Daniel Theis, Mike James, and Alpha Diallo were unavailable. Still, the shortened rotation was not a decisive problem for a long time because Monaco had a double-digit lead by the break, and the home side's offensive output was high enough to keep Nanterre constantly behind.
Nanterre, however, did not lose contact with the game even when Monaco controlled the score. According to AS Monaco's report, the visitors stayed in the game above all through offensive rebounding and their ability to punish the hosts' turnovers. The third quarter opened the door for a comeback because Nanterre cut the deficit immediately after the break, and the game became more physically demanding and more fragmented. Monaco nevertheless entered the final ten minutes with a 71:62 lead after Matthew Strazel's three-pointer at the buzzer, which at that moment gave the home side the impression that it had enough in reserve for a calmer finish. The opposite proved true: in the final quarter Nanterre imposed the tempo, attacked the rim, collected second-chance opportunities, and gradually turned pressure into a scoreboard comeback.
The final quarter changed the picture of the series
The key to the game was the finish, in which Nanterre, according to AS Monaco's official record, outplayed the hosts 36:18. Monaco still led 85:79 late on, but then lost its offensive fluidity, while the visitors took control through Donta Scott, Len Schoormann, and Roko Prkačin. Nanterre first tied the score at 87:87, then moved in front and never gave up the lead again. In its report, AS Monaco particularly emphasized that the home team lost the thread of the game in the closing minutes, while the visitors closed the contest with a 19:4 run. The final blow came with a three-pointer by Hugo Yimga-Moukouri, after which the 98:89 scoreline also marked a complete change in the psychological frame of the series.
The statistics further explain the comeback. According to AS Monaco's technical sheet, Nanterre had 45 rebounds, while Monaco remained at 19, and the visitors' dominance on the offensive glass was especially important. Mitchell Saxen led Nanterre with 15 rebounds, giving the visitors additional possessions at the moments when the game was being decided. Monaco shot very efficiently from the field, making 30 of 52 attempts, including 12 three-pointers from 22 shots, but that was not enough because Nanterre had more continuity and more available options down the stretch. According to the same source, the visitors made 34 shots from 70 attempts, hit 11 three-pointers from 27 attempts, and converted 19 of 22 free throws.
Schoormann, Prkačin, and Saxen marked the visitors' victory
L'Équipe singled out Len Schoormann as one of Nanterre's standout players, as he finished the game with 20 points, five assists, and two steals. Schoormann's value was not only in the number of points, but also in the moments when he scored them, especially when Nanterre had to stay calm at the free-throw line and from the outside shot. Roko Prkačin added 15 points and seven rebounds, and his performance off the bench gave Nanterre the depth Monaco lacked in this game. Saxen, according to the statistics of L'Équipe and AS Monaco, finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds, with nine offensive rebounds being especially important for control of the finish. Hugo Yimga-Moukouri added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Donta Scott finished with 10 points, including key outside makes at the moments when the hosts' lead was melting away.
For Monaco, the most efficient player was Elie Okobo with 23 points and eight assists, as confirmed by L'Équipe's data. Yoan Makoundou added 20 points with very high efficiency, and Jaron Blossomgame scored 18 points. Matthew Strazel put in 13 points and made important three-pointers, including the one at the end of the third quarter, but Monaco failed to maintain offensive balance when Nanterre raised the physical intensity. According to AS Monaco's technical sheet, the hosts had 17 assists and 14 turnovers, while Nanterre finished with 20 assists and also 14 turnovers. The difference, therefore, did not come through the number of lost possessions, but through rebounding, extra attacks, and the visitors' better execution in the finish.
Makoundou admitted the problem with energy and rebounding
After the game, AS Monaco relayed a statement from Yoan Makoundou, who emphasized that the team relaxed in the finish and immediately paid the price. Makoundou, according to the club's post, said that the lack of effort and rebounding were the decisive problems and that Monaco must correct its mistakes if it wants to win the third game in Nanterre. That statement neatly sums up the difference between the first 30 and the final 10 minutes of the encounter. Monaco long looked like the team in control, but in the finish it had no answer to the opponent's series of rebounds, shots, and confidence. For a team that won the first game 103:88, according to AS Monaco's official report, the defeat in the second game shows how quickly the tone of a playoff series can change.
Nanterre, on the other hand, received confirmation that it can withstand Monaco's offensive surges and remain disciplined until the finish. Nanterre's official website reminded before the semifinal that the club had returned to the final round of the playoffs after seven years, and the victory in Monaco further strengthened the impression that this team is not just a pleasant surprise of the season. Nanterre reached the semifinal after eliminating Le Mans in two games in the quarterfinal, which was also highlighted in the club information. In Monaco, it then showed two different faces within 48 hours: in the first game it could not withstand the hosts' final surge, while in the second it was precisely Nanterre that took over the last quarter and forced the favored opponent into mistakes. That may be the most important message for the continuation of the series, because Nanterre now knows that it can also win away from home, even after a large deficit.
The series moves to Nanterre with a new balance of power
According to L'Équipe's schedule, the third game of the series will be played on June 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. in Nanterre, while the fourth is planned for June 8. Since the score is 1:1, both teams enter the continuation of the semifinal with clear but different tasks. Monaco must restore control of the boards and find more stable minutes in the finish, especially because injuries and absences narrow its ability to react from the bench. Nanterre will try to use home court and carry over the energy from the final quarter in Monaco, but in doing so it will have to count on Monaco attacking especially the very areas in which it was defeated in the third game: defensive rebounding, ball protection in the key minutes, and concentration on outside shooters. In a playoff series in which adjustments from game to game often prove decisive, the second encounter offered enough material for both benches.
The wider context of the semifinal also gives this result additional weight. Monaco entered the playoffs as one of the strongest teams in the French Betclic Élite, while Nanterre built its season through stability, rebounding, and the energy of a group of players who complement one another well. According to L'Équipe's calendar, the other semifinal series is also underway, with the pairing Paris – Cholet, so the finalist of the French championship will be found through two matchups in which no favorite has the right to relax. Nanterre's comeback in Monaco is therefore not just one away victory, but a result that changes the pressure: Monaco is no longer defending an advantage, but must win back control of the series. Nanterre, meanwhile, after the 98:89 victory has the opportunity in front of its own crowd to turn a surprise into a real advantage.
The numbers that explain the comeback
The clearest difference between the two teams is visible in rebounding. According to AS Monaco's technical sheet, Nanterre had 45 rebounds and Monaco 19, which is an unusually large difference for a game in which the home team led for a long time and shot at a high percentage. That rebounding balance allowed the visitors to survive periods in which Monaco was hitting from outside, because Nanterre gained extra possessions and gradually wore down the home defense. Monaco had the better three-point shooting percentage, 12/22 compared with Nanterre's 11/27, but the visitors had more field-goal attempts and a better performance from the free-throw line. Nanterre made 19 of 22 free throws, while Monaco made 17 of 23, and in a game that was decided in the final minutes, that precision also carried great importance.
The distribution of points is also important. Monaco relied on four main scorers: Okobo, Makoundou, Blossomgame, and Strazel, who together scored 74 of the home team's 89 points. Nanterre had a wider distribution, with five players in double figures and additional contributions from Chassang, Zeigler, Dussoulier, Lacombe, and Senglin. Such depth became especially apparent when the game entered the final five minutes, because Monaco's defense could no longer focus on just one creator. According to L'Équipe's data, Benjamin Sène handed out six assists, Schoormann five, and Nanterre finished with 20 assists as a team. Along with rebounding, that ability to share responsibility was precisely the foundation of the great comeback.
A semifinal that gained a new story
After the first game, it seemed that Monaco had a clear path toward taking control, because on June 1, according to the club's official report, it won 103:88 behind excellent performances by Strazel and Blossomgame. The second game completely changed the narrative. Nanterre showed that it can withstand periods in which Monaco scores in runs and then turn the game around on the away court through rebounding and defensive aggression. For Monaco, the defeat is a warning that a high shooting percentage and a double-digit lead are not enough if the team does not close out defensive rebounds and keep its rhythm under pressure. For Nanterre, it is confirmation that the semifinal is not only a battle against the opponent's reputation, but a series in which it can actively impose itself.
There is little time left before the third game for recovery and adjustment. Monaco will look for a response in Nanterre and a return of home-court advantage, while Nanterre will try to extend the momentum created in the finish of the encounter at Gaston Médecin. According to the available schedule, a possible continuation of the series may include additional games, depending on the results in Nanterre. At this moment, the only certainty is that the 1:1 score has returned the series to the beginning and that Nanterre's 98:89 victory carries more weight than a single game. It changed the psychological balance of the semifinal and opened space for a continuation in which every rebound, every turnover, and every final minute will have even greater value.
Sources:
- AS Monaco Basket – official report of the AS Monaco – Nanterre 89:98 game, quarters, statistics, absences, and post-game statements (link)
- L'Équipe – result, series status, semifinal schedule, and player statistics for the Monaco – Nanterre game on June 3, 2026 (link)
- AS Monaco Basket – official report of the first semifinal game, Monaco's 103:88 victory, and the context of entering the series (link)
- Nanterre 92 – club information about Nanterre's return to the semifinal, the quarterfinal victory against Le Mans, and the schedule of home games (link)