By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos had an impressive start, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz came back but when all was said and done, the Reds managed to get the 97-92 for an impressive 4-0 start in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with three road wins in Spain.
Giannoulis Laretzakis with 11 points and two crucial free throws sealed the deal, Sasha Vezenkov with 26 points and seven rebounds was once more the star of the show, while Kostas Sloukas once more was crucial in the fourth quarter with 20 points and six assists.
“I have to give credit to the players because it was our third victory in Spain [this season]. It is not easy at all, and today’s game was very difficult”, said Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas, while Kostas Sloukas went hard on himself.
As Olympiacos guard said: “Generally, I am not satisfied with my performance in the first three quarters. And also, the team started really good in the first quarter and [then we were] were a little bit loose in the second quarter. It is not acceptable. Finally, we took good decisions in the fourth quarter, played good defense and we beat a great team. The team has confidence”.
Baskonia got 16 points from Maik Kotsar and 15 from Tadas Sedekerskis, but couldn’t get an extra push in the end.
Olympiacos started the game with a 26-8 partial score and Shaquielle McKissic had 10 of those points, while he finished the game with 12.
The first quarter ended with the Greeks having a double score (32-16) despite 1/5 threes. However, Baskonia reacted swiftly and got the 47-42 halftime lead with a 16-0 run, turning everything upside down as Olympiacos conceded 31 points in the second quarter.
That was just the star of it. Baskonia which had 2/14 triples in the first half, started the second with 5/8 and got a ten-point advantage (67-57), while Olympiacos was staying alive thanks to Vezenkov.
With two threes he made it a four-point game (67-63), reaching 24 personal points, but Baskonia was in command ending the third quarter leading by nine (74-65).
The issue for Olympiacos was defensive intensity per Vezenkov: “I said this after the game against [Real] Madrid and I am saying this now: With this defense, I don’t know how far we will go in the competition. We have to improve our defense, but I am very happy for everybody. We stayed together and took this great victory in this tough arena.”
To be exact the last period started with a 14-0 run giving Olympiacos the lead 79-74 as Sloukas had 10 points and one assist. That advantage proved crucial with the Greeks keeping their distance until the end.
As Bartzokas added: “Kostas Sloukas decided a lot of possessions with shots or assists, and two offensive rebounds by Moustapha Fall were really crucial”.
Baskonia coach Joan Penarroya agreed: “I think we played a good game until the last quarter, but in the last quarter, the pick-and-roll plays with Sloukas and Fall were too good for us [to stop]. We need to improve our defense in this situation.”