A legendary qualification in Madrid!
Olympiacos defeated Real Madrid 86-84 in Game 4 of the series, clinching a 3-1 winning record and securing a magnificent qualification (their 4th in a row) to the Final Four!
Olympiacos started the game against Real Madrid nervously. Lacking patience in ball movement and missing their first three shots from beyond the arc, they saw their opponents score from the distance and take an early lead (6-2). Nigel Williams-Goss provided offensive solutions, with Evan Fournier and Moustapha Fall leveling the game (8-8, 5’). Mistakes and poor offensive decisions led to weak transition defense, allowing Real to go on a 6-0 run and regain the lead (14-8, 6’). A three-pointer from Evan Fournier momentarily stopped the hosts (14-11), but they continued to strike from outside, taking advantage of Olympiacos’ lackluster defense to close the first quarter ahead, 21-16.
The second quarter began with two made free throws from Luca Vildoza and a steal by Thomas Walkup, which Alec Peters finished in transition (21-20). The Madrid side kept scoring from beyond the arc, but Nikola Milutinov and Alec Peters contributed offensively for Olympiacos (28-25, 14’). Evan Fournier took over scoring duties (40-35), but Olympiacos’ perimeter defense continued to struggle, with the team trailing by as many as 9 points (45-36). Fournier and Saben Lee starred in a 6-2 run in the final minute, bringing the halftime score to 47-42.
With a 16-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half, Olympiacos launched their comeback and took control of the game. With more focus and defensive intensity, and led offensively by Williams-Goss and Fournier, the 'red & whites' first took the lead (49-53, 22’) and then extended it with a three-pointer from Kostas Papanikolaou to 7 points (51-58, 24’) and then to 8 points (53-61, 25’). Sasha Vezenkov joined the action (62-67, 28’), but Real responded and closed the gap to just two points. The third quarter ended with a steal by Fournier and Olympiacos leading by three (65-68).
The 'red & whites' started the final quarter just as strongly, going on an 11-0 run and reaching their largest lead of the night (65-79, 33’). Captain Kostas Papanikolaou was an absolute standout, hitting 3 of 4 from the deep and playing with high energy on defense, supported by Luca Vildoza and Nikola Milutinov (67-82, 34’). Olympiacos held Real to just 6 points for about five minutes, but then lost focus and allowed an 11-0 run, cutting the lead to 78-82. That’s when Sasha Vezenkov stepped up, hitting a nine-meter three-pointer to push the lead to 78-85 with two minutes to go. Errors by Olympiacos allowed Real back into the game, narrowing the score to 82-85 with 16 seconds left, and 84-85 with 14 seconds. Evan Fournier made one of two free throws, the defense held, Abalde missed the final shot, and the game ended 86-84; a huge win and qualification to the Final Four for Olympiacos!
The quarters: 21-14, 47-42, 65-68, 84-86
