Olympiacos finishes at first place
Olympiacos defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 99-93 at the SEF, finishing the Euroleague regular season at the top of the standings and awaits its playoff opponent!
The game started with a nice assist from Kostas Papanikolaou and a dunk by Moses Wright for our team, which, however, lacked defensive intensity, conceding a partial 6-2 run to Maccabi. Nigel Williams-Goss once again fed the American center (4-6, 2'), while Sasha Vezenkov quickly joined the scoring for the Piraeus team. Olympiacos found good offensive collaborations by patiently moving the ball but still lacked the required intensity on the defensive end. The visitors exploited vulnerabilities on the perimeter (10-17), but Alec Peters and Sasha Vezenkov responded in kind, giving the lead to Olympiacos (21-20, 7'). Evan Fournier, who returned from injury, added his name to the scorers’ list, hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to make it 31-28 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kattash’s team continued to shoot well from beyond the arc, going on a 3-10 run that gave them the lead (34-38, 13'). Shaquielle McKissic, Evan Fournier, and Alec Peters tied the game (40-40, 15'), with the French international assisting Moses Wright for Olympiacos to regain the lead (44-42, 17'). Olympiacos' defense remained soft, allowing Maccabi to stay close until the halftime score of 51-48.
At the start of the third quarter, Olympiacos’ defensive intensity picked up, sparking a 10-2 run to go up by 11 points (61-50, 22'). Vezenkov, Wright, and Papanikolaou led the offensive charge, with the captain knocking down a three-pointer after great ball movement. Maccabi responded with their own 5-12 run (66-62, 28'), taking advantage of Olympiacos' missed defensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities. Vezenkov and Dorsey gave Olympiacos an 8-point cushion (70-62), but the team lost focus on defense in the closing minutes of the quarter, allowing an 8-0 run from the visitors that tied the game (70-70).
A three-pointer by Alec Peters and a bucket by Evan Fournier - off the 13th assist by Nigel Williams-Goss - quickly gave Olympiacos a five-point lead (75-70) at the start of the final quarter. Maccabi stayed within reach, but Olympiacos went on a 6-0 run to rebuild a 7-point lead (81-74), with Evan Fournier leading the charge. The French guard/forward stepped up in his return, contributing on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter (91-84, 38’). Alec Peters was crucial with an offensive rebound and two clutch free throws with 15 seconds remaining, and Sasha Vezenkov sealed the win with a fast break basket for the final score of 99-93!
Olympiacos finished the Euroleague regular season at the top of the standings with a 24-10 record and will find out tomorrow (April 11) who their playoff opponent will be.
Quarter scores: 31-28, 51-48, 70-70, 99-93.
