Olympiacos defeated Panathinaikos 82-76 at home in Game 1 of the Greek League Finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Olympiacos entered the game without Tyler Dorsey, Donta Hall, Moustapha Fall, Frank Ntilikina, Keenan Evans, and Shaquielle McKissic, while Panathinaikos was missing Juancho Hernangomez, Kenneth Faried, and Kostas Sloukas.
The opening quarter lacked rhythm, but Cedi Osman kept Panathinaikos afloat with an efficient scoring display. However, he received little support from his teammates. On the other side, Olympiacos had multiple contributors, with Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier leading the way. Kostas Papanikolaou capped the first quarter with a half-court three-pointer to give the hosts a 21-17 advantage.
Olympiacos looked even sharper in the second quarter. The Piraeus club consistently got to the free-throw line, while Nikola Milutinov dominated on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Nigel Hayes-Davis struggled to find his shot, missing several good looks. As a result, Olympiacos built a double-digit lead and entered halftime ahead 42-30.
Kostas Papanikolaou with a crazy half court shot in the end of the first quarter🤯
— Basketballmaniacs_ (@bballmaniacs_) June 3, 2026
Via: @ertofficial_ #paobc #olympiacosbc #greece pic.twitter.com/4LBxg7AeuY
Panathinaikos refused to back down after the break. Head coach Ergin Ataman found a spark in Dinos Mitoglou, whose perimeter shooting changed the game. Milutinov struggled to contain him, and Mitoglou responded by knocking down four three-pointers in a 10-minute stretch. The visitors caught fire from beyond the arc and cut the deficit to just four points, 62-58, heading into the final quarter.
The momentum remained with Panathinaikos early in the fourth. Osman beat Tyrique Jones off the dribble and finished at the rim to complete the comeback and give his team the lead. From there, the game turned into a defensive battle, with every possession carrying significant weight.
With the score tight in the closing minutes, Vezenkov created a difficult basket over Mathias Lessort to keep Olympiacos in front, while Panathinaikos struggled to generate offense.
The game entered the final minute with Olympiacos holding a narrow lead. Moments later, Fournier converted two free throws to extend the advantage to 77-73 with 45 seconds remaining. Ataman called a timeout, but the possession ended with Kendrick Nunn missing a three-pointer that effectively sealed the outcome.
The free-throw disparity was a major talking point, as Olympiacos attempted 29 free throws compared to just five for Panathinaikos.
Fournier led the winners with 20 points, while Vezenkov added 16. For Panathinaikos, Osman scored a game-high 23 points, and Nunn chipped in 20.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Friday at 8:00 PM.
