A win over Crvena Zvezda at the Peace & Friendship Stadium
Olympiacos BC secured their second consecutive win in the EuroLeague by defeating KK Crvena Zvezda 92–86 at the Peace & Friendship Stadium (SEF), improving their winning record to 18 in the competition
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For our team, Sasha Vezenkov was once again outstanding, scoring 17 of his 23 total points in the 2nd half, while Thomas Walkup delivered another all-around performance with 3 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Head coach Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Ward, Vezenkov, and Milutinov. The Serbian team made a stronger start in the game and with a three by Kalinic, they took a 6-point lead (2–8) after 2:50''. Olympiacos responded, first tying the game (16–16) with the Walkup–Vezenkov duo and then taking a 6-point lead of their own (24–18) with 2 consecutive threes by Tyler Dorsey. The first quarter ended with Butler missing a tough layup, keeping Olympiacos ahead by 4p (24–20).
Evan Fournier knocked down his first 2 three-point attempts at the start of the second quarter, giving Olympiacos a 10-point lead (30–20) and forcing Sasa Obradovic to call a timeout just 47 seconds in.
At times during the second quarter, the 'red & whites' played excellent basketball, thrilling the packed home crowd. Jones and Hall delivered impressive dunks, while Shaquielle McKissic added another 5. However, it was Evan Fournier who continued to make the difference, hitting two more three-pointers to reach 14 points by halftime as the team’s leading scorer. Despite building double-digit leads during that time, Olympiacos closed the first half poorly, allowing that time to cut the deficit to 4 (49–45).
Olympiacos began the second half much like they ended the first, missing shots and conceding easy baskets. That changed when Tyler Dorsey made his first three-pointer. The Greek-American guard initially and Sasha Vezenkov later on, caught fire, turning a 54–51 lead into 68–58 with 4' remaining in the third quarter.
However, in the remaining minutes of the third period, poor decisions allowed Crvena Zvezda, led by Joel Bolomboy, to come back once again, closing the gap to 72–68 by 30'.
Frank Ntilikina, returning after a one-month absence, hit the first three-pointer of the 4th quarter, and shortly afterward Sasha Vezenkov threw down a powerful dunk to make it 79–70. In the final 5 minutes, the game turned into a thriller. A free throw by Moneke brought Zvezda within 4 points (81–77). Both teams struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch and made consecutive poor offensive decisions, turning the game into a back-and-forth battle.
At that crucial moment, Sasha Vezenkov stepped up once again. The Bulgarian forward drained an incredible three-pointer over Moneke, giving Olympiacos a 7-point lead in the most important possession of the game and tipping the balance in favor of the 'red & whites'. The final score was 92–86, as Olympiacos improved to 18–9.
The quarters: 24–20, 49–45, 72–68, 92–86.