By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Moses Wright scores a EuroLeague career-high 19 points on 9 – 9 shots to lead Olympiacos Piraeus past Panathinaikos Athens 71 – 65 in the latest edition of the Greek Derby of the Eternal Rivals.
The two teams are now tied at 18 – 11 in the standings but the Reds have the tiebreaker since they swept the regular-season games.
Wright scored 11 of his points in the second period to help Olympiacos come back from down 7 – 17 at the end of the first quarter and tie the game at 33 at halftime. He also made a key basket for the 67 – 60 with 30 seconds to play that more or less sealed the win for his team.
“I got to thank the fans. The fans bring the energy. I just try to match it. They go crazy every time we score or get a stop,” mentioned the 25-year-old center.
Panathinaikos had made their turnaround effort after trailing 47 – 36 near the end of the third period, behind Kendrick Nunn’s buckets, making it 47 – 41. The hosts couldn’t be denied though.
Nunn finished with 17 points but also seven turnovers, as many as the entire Olympiacos team. The Greens turned over the ball 18 times in total.
“When the games starts you forget everything”
“We have great players that commit to defend. Panathinaikos with their ability and talent made some really crazy shots,” mentioned winning head coach Giorgos Bartzokas and added, “We had pressure in the first half. It was obvious. When we put the pressure out, we played better.”
Returning from injury, Thomas Walkup chipped in four points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals. “Once the game starts and in this kind of atmosphere, you forget everything. If you have broken bones, out there you would not feel it,” he said.
“It was a difficult derby game. Not good to watch due to the quality of basketball. But Olympiacos deserved to win because they played more aggressively it was like an NFL defense,” recapped losing head coach Ergin Ataman.