By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Kostas Sloukas capped probably the top playoff performance of his career by burying the tough buzzer beater from way downtown that gave Olympiacos a 71 – 72 road win over Fenerbahce in Game 3 of the EuroLeague quarterfinals. After losing in Game 2 at home, the Reds are now 2-1 in the best-of-five series and one victory away from the Final Four.
“Okay, I scored the last shot, but I think in total we played good defense,” Sloukas said. “On offense, we didn’t make some good decisions… I had 3 seconds at the end, I said I’d take the responsibility because I was feeling good. Sasha set a good down pick and after that, I played one on one, I shot and I scored. I could have missed, but with 3 seconds we couldn’t do anything different.”
Sloukas scored a season-high 26 points, dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds to carry the Olympiacos’ otherwise dysfunctional offense in many ways, before draining the decisive bucket. Sasha Vezenkov contributed 17 points and four rebounds, scoring 8 over the last 3:49. He had five consecutive points that capped a 0-13 run by Olympiacos after trailing 60 – 51 and tied the score at 69 from deep with a minute to play when Fener retook the lead.
With 24 seconds remaining, Dyshawn Pierre stole the ball from Thomas Walkup after an Olympiacos defensive rebound and Marko Guduric made his first – and only – basket in the game with a mid-range jumper that put Fenerbahce up by two. Yet the visiting side hadn’t said its final word, which was delivered by Sloukas.
“Some could say it’s lucky but I’ve seen Kostas practice this shot every day,” Vezenkov said on his teammate’s game-winner. “So it will be tough, we need one more win, and we’re coming on Friday. I know Fener will come back, will get better, we will have to see what we did wrong because we didn’t play the perfect game. So we need to improve and win one more game.”
In his best game with the Fener jersey, Tyler Dorsey had 21 points. He responded to the Olympiacos’ counterattack with buckets for the 62 – 64 and 66-66. Tonye Jekiri had 15 points plus seven rebounds and Nick Calathes finished with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds while hitting a corner three for the 69-66.
“When it comes to the down stretch and clutch shots you can’t have better defense than contested shots, but both quality lefties they made the baskets, Vezenkov and Sloukas,” Fenerbahce coach Dimitris Itoudis said. “But obviously, the game has 40 minutes, you don’t only need to analyze the last couple of possessions. It was a close game, we managed to bring some difference, a plus 11, and we couldn’t capitalize on that even more, but it is what it is.”
Fenerbahce is still missing due to injuries Scottie Wilbekin, Nemanja Bjelica and Devin Booker.
One more to go
Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas was satisfied with how his players reacted when Fenerbahce seemed to be gaining momentum in different parts of the game and hopes to see the same winning attitude in Game 4.
“I’m feeling great, I don’t have heart attacks, I’m okay!” Bartzokas said on the intense and dramatic finale that found Olympiacs victorious. “It was a fantastic game for EuroLeague fans. At the end we made two fantastic crucial and difficult shots with Sasha Vezenkov and, of course, the last one with Kostas Sloukas. And they made shots also when we led by 4, a basket and foul from Tyler Dorsey, a three-point shot from Nick Calathes, and then a difficult two-point shot from Guduric. So they made everything, but we overcame this and won the game. It was a fantastic performance. We were nervous during the game but at the end, we found the solutions to win here, which is not easy at all. We have one day to analyze the game to see exactly what Fener did, and they also have to see what we did. Friday’s game is completely different and we have to go and win again. This is our mentality. To go every time to win the game, no matter if we win or lose. It won’t be easy for us, but it won’t be easy for them also.”