"Executed” by Sloukas!
With a three by Kostas Sloukas at the overtime buzzer, Olympiacos edged the European Champion Anadolu Efes at the SEF 87-85, for the 26th day of the Euroleague.
Thomas Walkup, who suffers from a lumbar muscle spasm, watched the game from the sidelines.
At the beginning of the game, Kostas Sloukas and Sasha Vezenkov were leading the offense and had a major contribution so as the ‘reds’ building a +9 difference (26-17 at 10’). Relying on solid defense, Olympiacos steadily maintained the lead up until 17’ (37-31), however, the Turkish team played an impeccable second quarter, got to strike both from the perimeter and in the post and running a partial 10-2 score, came ahead 41-39. Finally, with Tyler Dorsey gave a one point edge to the ‘reds’ (42-41), which was the score that marked the end of the first half.
Efes got to lead by 3 for the first time in the second half (42-45), but the ‘reds’ had an immediate reaction. With two threes by Vezenkov and Papanikolaou and a dunk by Fall, they went ahead with a +5 (50-45), while under the leadership of Kostas Sloukas, consistently maintained the lead (61-56) up to 29’.
However, bad decisions in the offense and lagging defense, allowed the guests to run a 9-0 streak and hence find themselves at +4 for the first time in the game (61-64, at 32’). Olympiacos once again bet on his defense, turned the game into a first class derby and got the upper hand at winning. With a bucket by Dorsey, the ‘reds’ had +2 (75-73), played a successful defensive play, however, Dorsey made an unforced turnover next. Misic tied the game 75-75 (14.6’’), but the ‘reds’ missed a huge opportunity to seal the game in the last offense they ran, when they failed to move the ball correctly, resulting in a missed guarded shot by Dorsey at the buzzer.
Shane Larkin, who hadn’t scored at all during the forty minutes of the regulation, lead the Turkish team in the overtime and his three put Efes at +3 (82-85), with about one minute to the end. Dorsey inched the game 84-85, Fall successfully put a stop on Misic and Kostas Sloukas wrote the final 87-85 at the final buzzer.
The quarters: 26-17, 42-41, 61-61, 75-75. Παρ: 87-85.
OLYMPIACOS
EFES
