An «injured» Οlympiacos won in Berlin
With 1,000 fans of the team by their side, Olympiacos won away against Alba (100-92) for the 33rd round of the EuroLeague and returned to the top of the standings.
Fully focused and patient in offense, Olympiacos took early control of the game (2-7, 2'). With Nigel Williams-Goss contributing on both ends of the floor, and Alec Peters being perfect from beyond the arc (3/3), the Piraeus team - who had 9 assists and made no turnovers - fully imposed their rhythm (4-11, 4'). The American forward was the one who, after effectively moving the ball, raised the lead to double digits for the first time (13-23), with our team (which played for more than 5 minutes with a small-ball lineup) running a 10-0 streak (13-30, 9'), and the period ending at 17-36. A finisher from Shaquille McKissic and a dunk from Moses Wright started the second period (19-40), with Alba’s 5-0 run being stopped by a three-pointer from Giannoulis Larenzakis, who entered the offensive equation for the Piraeus team (24-43, 12'). Alec Peters continued to hit from the perimeter, with the lead reaching +20 (26-46, 14'). Alba’s 7-0 run was stopped by consecutive three-pointers from Vezenkov and Goss (34-54, 16'), but a defensive lapse and missed perimeter shots allowed Alba to make a 10-2 run and reduce the deficit to 44-56. Five points by Larenzakis made it 46-61, with Olympiacos equaling their best first-half scoring performance in the history of the competition!
With Moses Wright starring on both ends of the floor, the third quarter began (46-63). However, our team lacked the same defensive intensity, and Alba reduced the lead to 10 (55-65, 24'). Alec Peters continued his excellent shooting from beyond the arc, and after a steal from Goss, Sasha Vezenkov "wrote" the 55-70 score, giving Olympiacos a +15 lead. The American forward added five more points to extend the lead (57-75, 26'), becoming a constant offensive threat (64-80, 28'). Poor defensive reactions and hasty offensive decisions in the last two minutes allowed Alba to go on a 9-0 run and reduce the lead to single digits by the end of the period (73-80). The sluggishness in defense and the hasty decisions in offense continued at the beginning of the last quarter, with Alba taking the lead in the first minute (81-80), before Alec Peters and Sasha Vezenkov once again stepped up. The two of them hit consecutive three-pointers, putting our team back in the lead (81-86, 33'). Missed offensive rebounds gave Alba second-chance opportunities, and they briefly took the lead (88-86), but the unstoppable Alec Peters had the answer. His three-pointer (the 8th in 9 attempts), a defensive play, and a layup from Nigel Williams-Goss put our team back on top with a +4 lead (90-94) with 35 seconds left. Saben Lee was calm at the free-throw line, making it 90-96, and the game ended 92-100, with Olympiacos returning to the top!
The quarters: 17-36, 46-61, 73-80, 92-100
*The team traveled to Berlin with an 11-member delegation, without Moustapha Fall, Nikola Milutinov, Evan Fournier, Luca Vildoza, Thomas Walkup, and Nathan Mensah.