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'1-0' for Olympiacos in the semis

Olympiacos bested AEK 87-85 in the 1st Semifinal of the Basket League and now needs one more win to secure a spot in the championship finals.

Playing without Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov - both rested after two intense battles in Madrid - Olympiacos started the game strongly on both ends of the court. Moustapha Fall and Alec Peters opened with a 5-0 run, keeping AEK scoreless for over two minutes. Saben Lee scored five points to bring the game to 10-6 (4'), and AEK responded with perimeter shots to take the lead (14-17, 5'). Alec Peters, leading the "red & whites" on offense, kept the pressure on, and Giannoulis Larentzakis closed the quarter at 24-25.

Larentzakis also opened the scoring in the second quarter and, after stealing the ball and assisting Nikola Milutinov, helped Olympiacos gain a +4 lead (29-25). Tyler Dorsey joined the offensive push (34-28, 13'), and with five unanswered points from Larentzakis, the lead extended to +8 (39-31). Fall and Dorsey pushed the margin to double digits (43-33, 16'). However, turnovers and defensive lapses led to a 5-10 run by AEK in the last four minutes of the first half, narrowing the gap to 48-43.

Thomas Walkup scored with a strong move to open the second half (50-43), but Olympiacos went cold, allowing AEK to go on a 5-0 run and cut the lead to just one point (51-50). Olympiacos answered with a 6-0 run of their own (57-50, 25'), regaining control. By turning up the defensive intensity, they added another 7-0 stretch to extend the lead to +9 (64-55, 28'), and with Fall and Larentzakis contributing, they closed the quarter with a double-digit lead (68-58).

The final quarter began with a three-pointer from Alec Peters for a +13 advantage, but mistakes and rushed plays let AEK go on a 13-5 run, closing the gap to just one basket (76-64, 36'). A three-pointer by Larentzakis, a steal by the Greek international, and a fast-break finish by Naz Mitrou-Long extended the lead to 7 points (81-74). AEK remained competitive (81-79, 38') right until the end, bringing the game within two points (84-82) with 20 seconds remaining. Walkup then sank two free throws (86-82), Hale hit a contested three (86-85), but one more free throw by Walkup (87-85) sealed the win for Olympiacos after a final defensive stand.

The quarters: 24-25, 48-43, 68-58, 87-85.