A «break» at the OAKA and now back at home
Olympiacos scored a big away win over Panathinaikos (99-88), took a 2-1 lead in the finals series, and now hosts the 'greens' at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
After Panathinaikos’ initial 8-2 run, our team responded with more defensive intensity and patience on offense, going on a 7-0 run to tie the game (8-8, 3rd minute), with Thomas Walkup and Moustapha Fall leading the way. In the 5th minute, the French center landed awkwardly after defending Osman and limped off to the locker room. As the game progressed, Sasha Vezenkov and Tyler Dorsey provided scoring from the perimeter (19-19, 6'), with the international guard starring on offense (scoring and assisting) and Olympiacos taking the lead (23-26), closing the first quarter ahead 28-30.
With focused defense and good ball movement on offense, Olympiacos started the second quarter with a 6-0 run, taking an 8-point lead for the first time (28-36, 12'). Then came a 10-1 run by the 'greens', who capitalized on poor offensive and defensive decisions from our team to take the lead (38-37, 15'). Nikola Milutinov and Shaquielle McKissic put Olympiacos back ahead (38-41), but a lack of defensive intensity and an improvised lineup (with Peters at center) led to a 7-0 Panathinaikos run (45-41). Sasha Vezenkov hit a deep three-pointer (45-44, 19') to cut the lead to one point, which was also the halftime score.
Evan Fournier, Kostas Papanikolaou, and Sasha Vezenkov hit three-pointers early in the third quarter (50-55, 23'), giving our team control of the game. The French guard was unstoppable from the perimeter (55-66, 26'), followed by Vezenkov, pushing the lead to +12 (57-69) and then +13 (59-72, 27'). Panathinaikos responded with an 8-0 run (67-72), but Olympiacos, playing the last two minutes without a point guard, closed the quarter with a 6-0 run (67-78).
Just two plays into the final period, with the score at 70-80, Evan Fournier was hit with a very hard foul by Kendrick Nunn on a fast break, resulting in a lengthy stoppage. The referees reviewed the play via instant replay and addressed an altercation between Fournier and home fans near the court seats, ultimately issuing a technical foul and ejecting him. After play resumed, Olympiacos - still without a point guard - made poor offensive choices, but strong defense led to steals and transition points, including a dunk by Papanikolaou (73-84, 34'). Thomas Walkup, upon returning, finished a play near the basket, and Shaquielle McKissic hit a three-pointer to push the lead to its peak (+14, 75-89). Panathinaikos hit a few late threes to cut the deficit to single digits (81-91, 38'), but Tyler Dorsey and Nikola Milutinov remained calm from the free-throw line (86-97, 39'), and Olympiacos sealed the win (99-88), taking a 2-1 lead in the finals series.
The quarters: 28-30, 45-44, 67-78, 88-99
