The Championship back in Piraeus!
Playing without Moustapha Fall, Nigel Williams-Goss, and losing Sasha Vezenkov just before halftime, Olympiacos secured an emphatic victory over Panathinaikos (85-71) in the fiery atmosphere of SEF and claimed the Greek League title!
The game started with Kostas Papanikolaou scoring from the wing and Milutinov finishing near the basket (5-3). Panathinaikos struck from the perimeter (7-11, 4’) and briefly took the lead, but our team responded by increasing defensive intensity and going on a 12-2 run to take control (19-13, 8’). Three missed three-point shots prevented Piraeus from extending their lead further, and the first quarter ended 19-15.
With Shaquielle McKissic entering the offensive equation at the start of the second quarter, our team maintained the lead (23-17). Tyler Dorsey then took over, scoring from both the perimeter and mid-range, and with his assist, Nikola Milutinov dunked to ignite the crowd (31-24, 14’). McKissic continued to shine, pushing the lead to +11 (35-24, 15’). Olympiacos entered the final three minutes of the half with a double-digit lead, but Panathinaikos answered with a 9-3 run to cut the margin to 42-38 at halftime.
*With 1:13’’ left in the first half, Sasha Vezenkov was forced to leave the game supported by staff after awkwardly landing on his foot during a rebound attempt.
The second half opened with a three-pointer by Tyler Dorsey and two steals by the international guard (45-38), who continued to lead alongside Nikola Milutinov dominating in the paint (49-40, 24’). With a solo effort and a buzzer-beating three, our team went up by 14 (53-42, 26’). Despite a makeshift lineup and the captain playing at power forward, Olympiacos kept control even as Evan Fournier hit from deep (59-47, 28’ and 62-50, 29’), with Alec Peters ending the third quarter at 64–52.
With a 7–2 run early in the final quarter and starring performances from Shaquielle McKissic and Tyler Dorsey, Olympiacos stretched the lead to +17 (71–54, 37’). "Shaq" was everywhere on the court, while the captain - still playing out of position - made a steal and a fast-break dunk to make it 76-57 (35’). Alec Peters increased the margin (79–57, 36’), and McKissic pushed it even further (82–59) to a +23 lead. Panathinaikos tried to respond, but nothing could stop our team from taking a 3–1 lead in the finals and winning the Greek Championship!
The quarters: 19–15, 42–38, 64–52, 85–71
