A thrilling win for Olympiacos in Kaunas
Olympiacos came away with a road victory in Kaunas, beating Zalgiris 93–91 in a thrilling game to move to 2–0 in the EuroLeague.
Sasha Vezenkov was once again our team's MVP, finishing with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Montero and Fournier were outstanding in the fourth quarter. The Dominican guard recorded 15 points and 7 assists, while the Frenchman scored 19 points, knocking down every big shot he took when it mattered most.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Miller-McIntyre, Dorsey, Ward, Vezenkov and Jones. Although the 'red & whites' made a somewhat nervous start, the reigning European champions managed to recover. Led by Vezenkov, Olympiacos fought back from an early 9–2 deficit. Following Miller-McIntyre’s fifth assist, the Bulgarian forward put Olympiacos ahead 17–15 with 3' remaining in the opening quarter.
The EuroLeague MVP already had 7 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter, as Olympiacos ended the opening ten minutes trailing by three, 24–21.
In the second quarter, Mbaye Ndiaye replaced Vezenkov, but Olympiacos did not lose any offensive production at the power forward position. The Senegalese forward, who scored 7 points, and Fournier, with 8 points, were the team’s leading scorers during that time. Olympiacos took a 7-point lead at 37–30, but Tubelis sparked a Zalgiris run that allowed the Lithuanian side to level the score at halftime, 44–44.
Olympiacos went through the entire first half without making a three-pointer. That drought was finally broken in the 24th minute by Tyson Ward, who hit back-to-back threes to put Olympiacos ahead 55–52. Both defenses tightened considerably in the third quarter, with Bartzokas’ team holding the narrowest possible lead heading into the final period, 64–63, largely thanks to some extremely difficult shots from Vezenkov.
In the fourth quarter, Zalgiris initially found success from long range and took a 3-point lead. However, Montero and Fournier took it upon themselves, and with 5 minutes remaining Olympiacos had opened up a 5-point advantage at 76–71.
The Lithuanians responded, though, with Brown hitting two consecutive three-pointers to put Zalgiris back ahead. The final minutes were dramatic. Evan Fournier hit two huge threes, while Vezenkov finished crucial plays around the basket. Olympiacos held on to secure the road win in Kaunas, defeating Zalgiris 93–91.
The quarters: 24–21, 44–44, 63–64, 91–93.
