Lost to Valencia at the Peace & Friendship Stadium
Olympiacos lost to Valencia 92 - 99 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium (SEF), suffering their 7th loss of this season’s EuroLeague.
Valencia capitalized on their accuracy from the 3-point line (16/32) and led by top scorer Rivers (21 points), claimed the win at the SEF, thus remaining among the top teams in the standings. For Olympiacos, Milutinov, Vezenkov and Walkup stood out, but their efforts were not enough.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Fournier, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov and Milutinov. Both teams mainly threatened from the perimeter at the beginning, with Fournier, Vezenkov and Papanikolaou knocking down consecutive 3-pointers for Olympiacos.
Olympiacos had a very productive first quarter offensively, as 6 different players got on the scoresheet and the “usual suspect” Sasha Vezenkov finished the period with 11 points, giving the Piraeus side a 2-point (27 - 25).
At the start of the second quarter, Olympiacos continued to score from the perimeter, while the entrance of Tyler Dorsey provided additional scoring from beyond the 6.75m line. Alec Peters, with his second personal 3-pointer at 6:26’’ before halftime, put Olympiacos ahead by 11. However, Valencia then balanced the game and, with Montero hitting a shot from the corner, tied the score at 46.
The Spanish team continued their comeback and took a 2-point lead at halftime (47 - 49).
In the second half, Olympiacos came out focused and, with two 3-pointers by Walkup and a 12–0 run, regained the lead (60–49). At that point, Valencia found solutions with long-range shots from their big men, but Thomas Walkup continued to orchestrate Olympiacos masterfully. Until he was replaced by Ntilikina, the 32-year-old had recorded 7 assists without a turnover and, with 11 points, was Olympiacos’ most valuable player.
The 3rd quarter ended with a partial score of 29–18, but Valencia opened the final stretch with another 3-pointer by Rivers and cut the deficit to six (76–70) after their first possession. Pedro Martínez’s team went on a 15–0 run midway through and took an 8-point lead with 3.5’’ minutes remaining.
Rivers, Costello and Thompson were scoring in every possible way, and the Spanish run was halted by free throws from Nikola Milutinov. However, while Valencia was gaining confidence, Olympiacos missed at consecutive 3-point attempts, and the game slipped away.
The final score was 92-99, marking the 3rd consecutive loss for the ‘red & whites’ in the competition.
The next game for Olympiacos is another home one, on Friday, December 19, against Villeurbanne.
The quarters: 27–25, 47–49, 76–67, 92–99.
