Succumbed...
Mistakes, poor perimeter shooting, and the "shadow" of pressure brought down Olympiacos, who failed to overcome Monaco's resistance, suffering a 68–78 defeat in the Final Four semifinal in Abu Dhabi.
With Nigel Williams-Goss as the main offensive contributor and showing intensity on defense (including two steals), Olympiacos started the game strong against Monaco with a 4–0 lead (2'). However, poor perimeter shooting and bad defensive transition allowed Monaco to respond with an unanswered 7–0 run, taking the lead (4–7, 4'). Olympiacos’ first three-pointer came from Evan Fournier to make it 10–9, and Goss extended the lead to +5 (12–9, 6'). The French guard hit again from beyond the arc (15–11), with the game remaining tight as the first quarter ended tied at 17–17.
The second quarter opened with a 4–0 run by Monaco, but Olympiacos responded with a 6–0 run (23–21), as Nikola Milutinov finished two plays near the basket and Thomas Walkup got a steal and fast-break layup. However, the poor perimeter shooting and ineffective ball movement continued for Olympiacos, who conceded seven unanswered points from Monaco (26–21), who capitalized in transition. Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier slowed the momentum, cutting the lead to 30–31. Fall slammed it home for 32–33, and the half ended with Monaco ahead 32–35.
In the first three minutes of the third quarter, Papanikolaou, Goss, and Fournier provided offensive solutions (38–40, 23'), but without clear decision-making and patience, Olympiacos struggled to find rhythm (40–45, 24'). Missed shots and turnovers allowed Monaco to pull ahead by 13 (42–55). The “Reds” reacted with defensive intensity and Evan Fournier leading the offense. Olympiacos went on a 9–0 run to cut the deficit to 4 (51–55, 29'), ending the quarter at 51–57.
Monaco started the final period with a 6–0 run, pushing their lead to 13 again (51–64). Nigel Williams-Goss hit a big three-pointer, and Evan Fournier once again stepped up to cut the deficit to single digits (56–64, 33'), but Monaco responded with another 8–0 run (58–70). Fournier kept Olympiacos in the game with two big threes (64–72, 38'), and Goss stole the ball, giving the French guard the chance to cut it to 65–72 (38'), but it wasn't enough, as Olympiacos ultimately fell 68–78.
The quarters: 17–17, 32–35, 51–57, 68–78
