In the ninth round of the EuroLeague, Olympiacos defeated Crvena Zvezda with a score of 88:83 on their home court.
As a prelude to this match, both sides faced a significant number of injuries. For the home team, Nikola Milutinov (broken finger), Shaquille McKissic (back), and Nigel Williams-Goss, who renewed his Achilles tendon injury, were unavailable. On the other hand, coach Ioannis Sfariopoulos could not count on Adam Hanga (knee), Branko Lazic (rib fracture), Marko Simonovic, and Shabazz Napier (broken nose).
In the first quarter, we witnessed a fantastic rhythm on both sides. Olympiacos utilized the advantage they had in the center position with Moustapha Fall, while on the other hand, Nemanja Nedovic did an excellent job. The Crvena Zvezda guard scored 11 points in the first quarter, and Zvezda finished the quarter with a three-point lead.
In the second quarter, Zvezda extended the lead to a maximum of eight points, taking advantage of the fact that Fall had to take a rest. The Belgrade team did an excellent job on offensive rebounds during that period. However, with Fall’s return and the entry of Giannoulis Larentzakis, the Piraeus team consolidated, managing to go into halftime with a one-point lead.
Problems for Crvena Zvezda emerged in the third quarter. Olympiacos set the game at a pace that suited them, best exploited through Fall’s performance. Isaiah Canaan also came to life, hitting two three-pointers, allowing the hosts to establish a double-digit lead at the end of the third quarter, during which they played excellent defense. Thanks to these factors, Olympiacos finished the third quarter with an 11-point advantage.
In the final quarter, Crvena Zvezda tried to stage a comeback, but the host simply had too many in-form players. Alec Peters first led his team to a maximum advantage, and then the surge from Crvena Zvezda was halted by Kostas Papanikolau.
It seemed that Georgios Bartzokas’s team would smoothly bring the game to a close, but a 9-0 run from the guests narrowed the gap to just five points. Olympiacos started resorting to panic solutions, but Crvena Zvezda’s poor offensive decisions cost them a more favorable outcome. Alec Peters sealed the game with two successful three throws in the last minute.
Peters was the top scorer for the winning team with 28 points, while Fall, in addition to his 14 points, grabbed 14 rebounds. On the other side, Nedovic contributed 26 points.
Crvena Zvezda now holds a record of three wins and six losses, while Olympiacos has five wins and four losses. Coach Sfairopoulos’s team will host Milano in the next round of the EuroLeague, while Olympiacos will play against Zalgiris at their home court.
OLYMPIACOS – CRVENA ZVEZDA (20:23, 25:21, 19:9, 24:30)
Arena: Dvorana “Mira i prijateljstva”, Athends; Refeeres: Latisevs, Trawicki, Radojkovic.
Olympiacos:Walkup 4, Canaan 15, Lountzis 3, Larentzakis 7, Rozakeas, Papas, Fall 14 (14sk), Papanikolaou 11, Brazdeikis 2, Peters 28, Sikma 2, Tanoulis.
Crvena zvezda: Lazarevic, Teodosic 15, Davidovac 5, Mitrovic 8, Tobey 7, Bolomboy 7, Ilic, Nedovic 26, Giedraitis 6, Kuzmic, Yago 9.