Winning start in Vitoria
Olympiacos defeated Baskonia on the road (102-96) and got off to a strong start in their European campaign.
With Tyler Dorsey leading the way offensively and bringing intensity on defense, Olympiacos started the game excellently with a 12-0 run. The 'red & whites' kept the Basques scoreless for more than four minutes, applying pressure on the ball, controlling the rebounds, and imposing their rhythm (4-19, 6’). Baskonia responded with an 8-0 run - capitalizing on poor offensive decisions and weak transition defense from Olympiacos - before Dorsey and Nikola Milutinov put an end to it (12-25, 9’). However, turnovers and missed shots led to a 9-2 run by the home team to close the quarter (20-27).
Lacking the required intensity and energy on defense and making poor offensive choices, Olympiacos allowed Baskonia to close the gap (29-31, 13’). Donte Hall and Tyson Ward provided scoring solutions until Thomas Walkup re-entered and stabilized the game. Alec Peters hit a three-pointer to make it 33-43 (16’), with Ward and Milutinov keeping the lead in double digits (39-49, 18’). However, consecutive errors, missed shots, and defensive lapses allowed the home side to finish the half with a 9-0 run (48-49).
Baskonia took the lead for the first time at the start of the third quarter, but Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov quickly put Olympiacos back on top (53-56). The game remained tight, with the lead constantly changing. After a 6-point lead for Olympiacos (58-64, 26’), Baskonia answered with a 7-0 run (65-66), but the guests closed the quarter with a slim 3-point lead (70-73).
The battle continued in the fourth quarter with Donte Hall and Tyler Dorsey providing key plays (75-77, 32’), but Baskonia took advantage of poor transition defense and hit from beyond the arc (84-81). With the game down to a single possession, Evan Fournier stepped up, and then Sasha Vezenkov and Thomas Walkup hit back-to-back clutch three-pointers (94-99), giving Olympiacos a 5-point lead with 40 seconds to go. Nikola Milutinov sealed the win with a dunk - assisted by Fournier - making it 96-101 with 15 seconds left. Olympiacos held on for a hard-fought road win, starting their European campaign on the right foot: 102-96!
The quarters: 20-27, 48-49, 70-73, 96-102
