Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos: Analysis and Prediction – Olympiacos will host Panathinaikos in the Greek Basket League play-off final Game 2.
Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos Odds
Olympiacos Team News
After finishing second in the regular season, Olympiacos secured their place in the finals without much trouble. In the first game, they maintained control for almost the entire match and deservedly celebrated the victory.
Olympiacos has already won two trophies in Greece this season, both times defeating Panathinaikos in head-to-head matchups. Now, they have the lead in the final series and must defend this advantage. It was evident before the series began that the battle would be intense in the paint, and Nikola Milutinov emerged victorious over Panathinaikos’ big mans, particularly in the first half when the Serbian center dominated. In the second half, his teammates stepped up, leading to the victory. When Olympiacos’ point guards duo, Thomas Walkup and Nigel Williams-Goss, score 33 points combined, as they did in Game 1, a win for the Piraeus team is almost certain. Thomas Walkup was especially crucial in the third quarter, where he scored most of his points. The good news for them is that they won the game despite not having an exceptional shooting night, making only eight three-pointers.
Olympiacos is aware that only a small part of the job is done and that the second game will be extremely challenging. To secure a 2-0 lead in the series, they will need to be significantly better in their shooting performance and try to slow down Kostas Sloukas.
Panathinaikos Team News
Panathinaikos secured their place in the playoffs finals confidently. They finished first in the regular season and reached the finals without any problems. However, in the Game 1, they suffered a defeat at home against their eternal rival.
Panathinaikos has already had a successful season, regardless of the outcome of this series. Winning the EuroLeague title after more than a decade is enough to consider this season successful. In Game 1, Panathinaikos was statistically on par with their major rival in most categories and even better in some, such as three-point shooting. However, the visitors attempted significantly more free throws. Head coach Ergin Ataman had substantial complaints about the refereeing, which culminated in his ejection less than two minutes before the end of the game after receiving his second technical foul. Kendrick Nunn was once again the top scorer for Panathinaikos, but he struggled with his shooting. Kostas Sloukas demonstrated his importance to the team by scoring 16 points with an excellent 5/7 three-point shooting. Additionally, the team had a +14 point differential with him on the court.
Panathinaikos is well aware of the hostile atmosphere they will face in Piraeus, and they know it will be extremely difficult to win this game. To secure a victory, the players must be more efficient, particularly Nunn, who needs to improve his shooting, and Mathias Lessort, who was outplayed by Nikola Milutinov in Game 1.
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Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos H2H
Absences and Injuries
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