It showed that Olympiacos is the boss of the series. Giorgos Bartzokas’ team defeated Panathinaikos AKTOR 102-92 in the SEF and took a 2-1 lead in the finals of the Stoiximan GBL, keeping the Faleri pitch “impregnable”.
Now, the “red and whites” are looking for one more victory to win the championship, while the “greens” definitely need a pink card in the next match if they want to restore the series in the SEF for Game 5. The fourth game at the “Telekom Center” will take place next Wednesday (10/06, 21:00).
The two teams put much of their talent on the court and the game was definitely the most spectacular compared to the previous two. Despite this, Olympiacos of the amazing Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov, managed to prevail against a Panathinaikos team that did not have Djedi Osman, lost Nikos Rogavopoulos to injury, saw Juancho Hernangometh, Kendrick Nan being fouled early on and ran out of solutions in the final stretch of the match.
Terrible performance from Fournier with 28 points and 8 assists, while the efficient Vezenkov had 24 points and Nikola Milutinov, who dominated the racket, had 17 points. Tomas Walkup was pivotal, making 3/7 three-pointers, one of which was when Panathinaikos became threatening in the final. Of the losers, Jerian Grant had 19 points, TJ Shortz had 15 and Nigel Hayes-Davies had 12.
The match
The first basket of the match came from Vezenkov with a three-pointer (3-0), while Nan responded with a mid-range shot for 3-2. Fournier also executed from distance (6-2), with Juancho doing the same for 6-5. The Frenchman went all the way to the basket (8-5), with Lessor scoring consecutive points for 8-9. Milutinov grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed it (10-9), while Walkup hit a three-point shot to make it 13-9. Grant found himself unguarded and nailed (13-11), while Nunn tied it with an offensive rebound for 13-13. Vezenkov increased the difference with a goal-foul (18-13), while Fournier made it 20-13 with an easy layup. Hayes-Davis ended the home team’s run with a mid-range shot (20-15), but the red-hot Fournier made a three-pointer to make it 23-15. Lessor went down with back-to-back points (23-18), with Milutinov answering for 25-18. Ward grabbed another offensive rebound and scored (27-18), with Rogavopoulos beating the clock for a 27-21 first-quarter lead.
The second quarter started with baskets by Shorts and Joseph (31-23), while Slukas made it 31-26 with a three-pointer. Mitoglou brought the match to a point with a three-pointer from the top (31-30), while Nan equalized with a layup at 32-32. Vezenkov with a floater gave Olympiakos a breather (34-32), while Jones with a follow nail wrote 36-32. Lessor took advantage of the miss match and nailed (36-34), while Juancho equalized at 36-36. Grant gave Panathinaikos the lead (36-38), with Milutinov answering immediately for 38-38. Juancho hit a very difficult shot (38-41), with Fournier making two shots for 40-41. Vezenkov put Olympiacos back in the lead with a layup (43-41), while with two shots he made it 45-41. Nan made a great basket (45-43), while the half ended with a score of 47-45, but Rogavopoulos’ injury overshadowed an otherwise very impressive 20 minutes.
In the second half, Ward and Milutinov scored 51-45. Hayes-Davis provided a solution with a double attempt (51-47), with Shorts making a nice basket for 53-49. Vezenkov took shots and made them (55-49), while Milutinov nailed in transition for 57-49. Shorts took on Panathinaikos at a critical point and scored consecutive points (57-55), but Fournier found the target with a very difficult three-pointer for 60-55. Mitoglou cut short after a nice attack, but the Frenchman made another long shot for 63-57. Vezenkov scored a difficult basket (65-57), with Nan answering for 65-59. Fournier and Joseph made it 68-59 from the free throw line, with Grant making a crucial 3-pointer for 68-62. Vezenkov wrote from close 70-62 of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Grant and Fournier traded layups, while Vezenkov drove to the basket to make it 74-64. The Frenchman remained unmarked and hit a three-point shot (77-64), while Walkup and Toliopoulos exchanged shots for 80-68. Fournier continued to execute from everywhere (83-69), with Grant giving Panathinaikos a solution with a foul goal for 83-72. Hayes-Davis reduced the difference to single digits with a difficult three-pointer (84-75), but Milutinov with consecutive spikes kept Olympiakos in a position of control (88-79). Lessor and Grant made big baskets and brought Panathinaikos close (88-84), but Walkup made a big shot for 91-84. Hayes-Davis had an answer again (93-87), but a crucial rebound by Fournier and his two well-aimed shots essentially gave Olympiakos the victory, since the “greens” had no time to come back.
The quarters: 27-21, 47-45, 70-62, 102-92.
sport-fm.gr