Comfortable victory in Vitoria in the EuroLeague opener

European champions Olympiacos got their title defense off to a winning start, defeating Baskonia 106-89 in Vitoria.

Sasha Vezenkov and Tyler Dorsey led the way for Olympiacos, combining for 47 of the team’s 106 points.

Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Codi Miller-McIntyre, Tyler Dorsey, Tyler Ward, Sasha Vezenkov and Donta Hall. Despite an incredible start from the Basque team, that opened the game 6-for-6 from three-point range, his players quickly found rhythm. With excellent ball movement and creativity on offense, Olympiacos not only erased an 8-point deficit (16-8), but scored 36 points in the opening quarter with outstanding offensive concentration.

Vezenkov and Dorsey were both excellent, reaching double figures already in the first quarter as Olympiacos took a 7-point lead (36-29) at the end of the period.

In the second quarter, Bartzokas expanded his rotation, and both Yan Montero and Evan Fournier made an immediate impact. The two guards combined for 15 points, while the Dominican guard also dished out five assists. Nikola Milutinov returned to action after missing time with tendinitis and entered the game midway through the quarter. With Miller-McIntyre back on the floor, Olympiacos further improved its assist-to-turnover ratio. The first half ended with the European champions leading 56-46.

Olympiacos kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter. With the same dynamic duo of Vezenkov and Dorsey leading the way, and Ndiaye adding one more solid performance, the European champions showed that they had put their lost Super Cup final behind them and laid the foundations for a comfortable victory.

The final quarter was largely a formality, although Yan Montero continued to look lively. Free throws from the Dominican guard took Olympiacos past the 100-point mark with three minutes remaining. With the lead consistently above 20 points, Bartzokas had the opportunity to spread the minutes around and give his players some rest ahead of the Greek Super Cup.

The final score was 106-89, with Olympiacos easing off the pace in the closing minutes.

Quarter scores: 29-36, 46-56, 60-81, 89-106.