Unbreakable: 11th consecutive win against PAO in the EuroLeague
Although playing without the team's top scorer and best passer, Olympiacos was fantastic at the Peace and Friendship Stadium (SEF), defeating Panathinaikos 86–80 and improving their record to 19–10.
Our team was outstanding defensively and, despite the absences of Vezenkov, Walkup, and Morris, secured a very important victory with five players scoring in double digits (Ntilikina, Ward, Dorsey, Milutinov, Joseph) and even more contributors, beating Panathinaikos for the 11th consecutive time in the EuroLeague.
Georgios Bartzokas started the game with Ntilikina, Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Peters, and Milutinov, and Olympiacos quickly showed its defensive intentions. The 'red & whites' entered the game much more focused compared to the teams’ previous meeting in the Cup final, and with three-pointers from Dorsey and Papanikolaou, along with properly facilitating Nikola Milutinov (6 points in the first 5'), they took a six-point lead halfway through the quarter (17–11).
Later, the entrance of Ward, Ntilikina, and McKissic tightened the 'red & whites' defense even more, and Olympiacos closed the quarter with a 20–13 lead, which could have been even larger.
In the second quarter, Shaquille McKissic and Cory Joseph were the most aggressive offensive players for Bartzokas’ team, while Tyson Ward, playing as a power forward, defended Hayes-Davis excellently and played his part in Olympiacos’ dominance during that stretch of the game.
Olympiacos remained very physical and in the first five minutes of the second quarter had allowed for only two points, while with a basket by Evan Fournier, 5:42'' before the halftime break, our team extended the lead to +16 (31–15).
At that point Panathinaikos reacted, increased the pressure, and went to the locker room with a flattering 40–29 scoreline. The only player in double figures for both teams in the first half was Nikola Milutinov, who finished the first 20' with 10 points and 3 rebounds.
Gaining confidence from their strong finish in the first part of the game, Panathinaikos, led by Kendrick Nunn, quickly cut the score difference to two possessions (40–35). Olympiacos responded again, with Kostas Papanikolaou and Evan Fournier who hit a three-pointer and quickly pushed the lead back to 10p. (49–39). However, our opponents, with a buzzer-beating three by Juancho Hernangomez and another consecutive one by Dinos Mitoglou, brought the game to within one basket (49–47).
The rest of the third quarter turned into a dogfight. Both teams raised their defensive intensity and scored sparingly, with Olympiacos ending the period ahead by just two points (58–56).
The 'greens' took the lead at the start of the final quarter with a three by Kendrick Nunn, but Olympiacos did not bend at that moment. The 'red & whites' responded immediately with a three from Cory Joseph, while the return of McKissic and Dorsey gave the team new offensive energy.
Tyler Dorsey was crucial until he fouled out with five fouls, as two consecutive three-pointers made it 73–66 for Olympiacos, while Panathinaikos fought back with Nunn and Osman leading the way. Georgios Bartzokas decided to close the game with the lineup of Ntilikina, Fournier, McKissic, Ward, and Milutinov. With Tyson Ward once again playing as a makeshift power forward, Olympiacos played strong defense again, and with a layup from the excellent American took a 6-point lead (83–77) with 51'' remaining.
In the final minutes, the 'red & whites' kept calm from the free-throw line and secured the 86-80 victory.
The quarters: 20–13, 40–29, 58–56, 86–80.
