A dominant Olympiacos is one win away from the F4

Olympiacos delivered one of its best performances of the season and crushed Monaco 94–64, taking a 2–0 lead in the series.

The EuroLeague MVP, Sasha Vezenkov, once again stood out for our team, finishing the game with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Close behind him was Evan Fournier, who recorded 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Before the game, EuroLeague President Dejan Bodiroga presented the MVP award of this year’s EuroLeague to Sasha Vezenkov, who received a standing ovation. The arena also erupted when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Novak Djokovic entered, as they came to watch Olympiacos (i.e. “Thrylos - the Legend”.

Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov, and Milutinov, and unlike in the first one, Olympiacos made a fantastic start from beyond the arc. Olympiacos fans saw Walkup and Vezenkov hit their first five three-point attempts, but Monaco responded. Led by Diallo, the visitors managed to take a 20–19 lead three minutes before the end of the quarter. However, Olympiacos had Vezenkov in outstanding form and quickly regained control. The MVP closed the quarter with 13 points, and our team took a five-point lead (28–23).

However, no one was prepared for what followed in the second quarter. Olympiacos played perhaps its best basketball of the season and, thanks to excellent ball movement and the scoring ability of Evan Fournier, pushed the lead beyond 20 points. Olympiacos went into halftime with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 13–1, while the French star had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Overall, Olympiacos dominated the quarter 31–8, with Donta Hall also making a crucial contribution with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Mike James was ejected with two technical fouls shortly before halftime, which ended with the score at 59–31.

In the second half, the pace of the game slowed, and Olympiacos players conserved energy for what’s ahead. Sasha Vezenkov maintained his high level, adding 8 more points, but Monaco won the quarter 22–13 and cut the deficit to 19 before the final period.

In the last quarter, the game became procedural, and Giorgos Bartzokas had the opportunity to rotate all his players. Evan Fournier confirmed his excellent form during this stretch, finishing with 16 points and 7 assists to rank among the game’s top performers. The game ended with Olympiacos winning by 30 points (94–64) and taking a 2–0 lead.

The quarters: 28–23, 59–31, 72–53, 94–64.