Α wide margin win over PAOK at the Peace & Friendship Stadium
Olympiacos beat PAOK 100–73 in the 20th round of the Greek Basketball League, reaching 19 wins in as many League games.
The Red & Whites, who played without Thomas Walkup, Shaquielle McKissic, Sasha Vezenkov and Nikola Milutinov, had Alec Peters lead the way. Peters was the game’s top scorer with 26 points, while double-digit scorers also included Kostas Papanikolaou, Donta Hall, Tyrique Jones and Evan Fournier. All 11 Olympiacos players who appeared in the game both scored and recorded assists.
Head coach Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Frank Ntilikina, Tyler Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Peters and Hall. Peters quickly found rhythm, scoring the team’s first 5 points. Olympiacos began the game highly focused, and with Hall dominating under the basket (4 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter), built a 14-point lead (25–11).
Meanwhile, Peters picked up two fouls, and Bartzokas replaced him with Omiros Netzipoglou, moving captain Papanikolaou to the power forward position. Fournier also entered the game and contributed 6 quick points, helping increase the lead.
However, the French guard also picked up his 2nd foul early in the second quarter, forcing Ntilikina back onto the floor alongside Giannoulis Larentzakis and Dorsey in Olympiacos’ backcourt. Tyson Ward, played once again as a power forward, while Jones scored six consecutive points to make it 41–23, about two minutes before halftime.
Olympiacos then lost concentration in the closing minutes of the first half, allowing PAOK to go on a 10–0 run and cut the lead to single digits (41–33).
The second half began much like the first one, with Peters scoring near the basket and Hall following with an impressive dunk to restore a double-digit lead. Peters continued to receive the ball close to the rim, while Papanikolaou delivered an excellent quarter with four assists and seven points, helping Olympiacos go up 61–45, 3’ before the end of the third period.
Unlike the second quarter, Olympiacos remained focused to close the third and essentially put the game away, extending the lead to 21 points (69–48), with Peters reaching 18 points.
PAOK started the last quarter on a good not, hitting their first two threes and cutting the deficit, but Olympiacos responded quickly. Netzipoglou scored 5p, while Peters and Fournier added more buckets to push the lead to 85–56 by 35’. Despite a heavy schedule, Olympiacos maintained high energy and strong defensive pressure, eventually securing the 100–73 victory. Peters stayed hot from three-point range late in the game to finish with 26 points, while young guard Giorgos Bourneles also entered with 3:24’’ remaining and managed to score.
The quarters: 25–11, 41–33, 69–48, 100–73
