Huge away win against Maccabi
With an 18-4 run in the last five minutes of the game, Olympiacos edged Maccabi Tel Aviv 95-94 on the road for the 5th round of the EuroLeague.
Poor shooting from beyond the arc, turnovers, and weak defensive responses allowed Maccabi to take an 8-point lead (16-9) in the first five minutes of the game. Olympiacos improved their defense afterward, and with Tyler Dorsey and Sasha Vezenkov leading the offense, they cut the deficit to just one point (16-15) and ended the quarter with a three-pointer from Kostas Papanikolaou, making it 24-22.
Sasha Vezenkov tied the game early in the second quarter, but our team committed more costly turnovers, resulting in an 8-2 run by the hosts (35-28). Two three-pointers from Alec Peters and Saben Lee, followed by an assist from the latter for a Nikola Milutinov dunk, tied the game again (35-35). However, Maccabi immediately responded with an 8-0 run of their own. The Israelis capitalized on our team’s mistakes and struck from the perimeter (43-35). Four straight points by Nikola Milutinov briefly closed the gap (43-39), but the half ended with Maccabi leading 48-40.
With Sasha Vezenkov and Tyson Ward scoring from the perimeter and increased pressure on the ball, which led to two steals, Olympiacos first reduced the margin and then tied the game (50-50, 22'), though the match remained tight. Tyler Dorsey assisted Donta Hall for the 54-52, and Frank Ntilikina scored five points to give our team the lead (58-59, 27'). The lead changed hands several times in the third quarter, with Dorsey and Hall cooperating well to produce scoring, and the period ended 70-65.
Poor defensive reactions at the start of the final quarter saw our team fall behind by 11 (78-67, 32’). Tyler Dorsey provided offensive solutions, but the defense lacked energy, allowing the hosts to keep hitting from deep and maintain a double-digit lead (90-77, 35’). Nikola Milutinov led the 'red & whites’' offense, finishing plays near the basket, and our team brought the deficit down to single digits with a 6-0 run (93-87, 38’). Olympiacos then produced a key defensive stop, with Tyson Ward hitting a three-pointer to make it 93-90 (39’). Sasha Vezenkov calmly made two free throws for the 94-93 lead with 42 seconds left on the clock and, with a big basket at 17 seconds, sealed a huge victory for Olympiacos (94-95) in Belgrade!
The quarters: 24-22, 48-40, 70-65, 94-95.
