"Fell" in Belgrade
Olympiacos lost to Partizan in Belgrade 78-70 for the 12th round of the Euroleague.
The 8-0 streak by Olympiacos in the first 90'' of the game against Partizan captures the magnificent beginning of our team in Belgrade. The 'red & whites' 'froze' the always animate Stark Arean with the excellent ball movement and focus on the defensive end (5-15, 3'), with 6/6 attempts (2/2 2p. and 4/4 3p.) Two back to back thress by Thomas Walkup and Evan Fournier sent the Greek lead to +13 (8-21, 5'), who closed the first quarter with a series of bad offensive choices which allowed Partizan to close into 16-25. In the second quarter, our team's outlook was totally different. The hosts upped their defensive intensity and had the patience to chip away at the score margin (23-29, 13'). The 'red & whites' on their part, made too many turnovers and a series of bad decisions. Nikola Milutinov and Alec Peters grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds, but our team did not turn them into score, and Partizan got to lead fo the first time (36-34) with 36'' on the clock, with half time ending at 38-36.
In the third quarter, clear thinking and calm returned in our offense, at the time when focus on the defensive end remained at high levels. Two back to back buckets by Moustapha Fall and Luca Vildoza that produced additional free throws shaped the 4-44 score (22') and one more by Alec Peters brought us to +6 (43-49, 26'). Nikola Milutinov's persistence on an offensive play that seemed hopeless made the score 45-51 (26'), while five consecutive points by Peters were decisive for the +7 that marked the end of the third quarter (50-57). In the final ten minutes, Olympiacos began with a huge three by Kostas Papanikolaou that offered us a 7 point margin (53-60, 32'). The unsportsmanlike foul he was charged with then though gave Partizan the chance to gain momentum and run a partial 12-2 score (65-62, 35'). Poor shooting from the perimeter and bad choices when attacking in general allowed the hosts to get ahead with a significant lead (72-63, 36'). A bucket and an additional free throw by Evan Fournier (72-66) did not signal the beginning of our team's comeback, that lost 78-70 in Belgrade.
The quarters: 16-25, 38-36, 50-57, 78-70