Triumph over Monaco at a packed, all-red SEF
Olympiacos comfortably defeated Monaco at SEF 91–70 to take a 1–0 lead in the playoff series.
Our team was dominant, building a +21 margin, with Sasha Vezenkov leading the scoring with 20 points and Nikola Milutinov earning MVP honors with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Cory Joseph also made a decisive impact, finishing the game with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Before the game, club presidents Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos honored Vezenkov (Alphonso Ford Trophy winner and member of the All-EuroLeague First Team) and Milutinov (also a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team).
The Olympiacos fans, dressed in red t-shirts distributed by Piraeus Bank, cheered for the award winners before the action began. Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Ward, Vezenkov, and Milutinov. Monaco entered the playoffs strongly, initially taking a 5-point lead (4–9). However, Olympiacos responded, led offensively by the season's MVP, taking the lead a minute before the end of the first quarter (19–18), though they trailed by one at the buzzer (19–20). During this stretch, Vezenkov scored 11 points, while Milutinov added 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
In the second quarter, Donta Hall’s presence was crucial, as he recorded 3 blocks in just a few minutes, energizing the crowd. Twelve minutes into the game, Evan Fournier made the team’s first triple, setting his own rhythm in the game.
Olympiacos struggled with shooting in the first half (starting 1/8) and couldn’t extend their lead beyond 6p. until the 18th minute, when Dorsey and Vezenkov broke the drought. The 'red & whites' went into halftime with a 9-point lead (45–36), with Cory Joseph contributing 7 points and becoming a key factor.
In the second half, Olympiacos came out aggressively, with Walkup and Dorsey hitting from long range to push the lead into double digits and lay the foundation for the 1–0. Two minutes into the half, Vezenkov took a hit to the face from Alpha Diallo and left the game, requiring four stitches, with Alec Peters replacing him.
Olympiacos extended the lead to +16 midway through the third quarter (56–40), with Peters heavily involved offense wise and Dorsey finding rhythm. Milutinov was once again dominant, comfortably recording a double-double, and Olympiacos closed the quarter with a 15-point lead (66–51).
In the final period, Olympiacos started even stronger, with the Serbian center dominating the paint and pushing the lead to +20 (71–51 at 32'). Vezenkov returned in the 4th quarter, boosting the team as they closed out the game in style. With Joseph, Vezenkov, Fournier, and Hall leading the way, Olympiacos secured the final score of 91–70.
The quarters: 19–20, 45–36, 66–51, 91–70.
