By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Everyone expected a big game and in the end, Olympiacos didn’t disappoint. The Reds got the 89-80 win and got into a two-way tie with Fenerbahce in the second spot of the standings with a 9-4 record.
Plus Olympiacos is hosting standings leader Paris in two days and if they manage to beat the French side, which currently has a 10-3 record, they can tie them on the top.
Monaco dropped to 8-5, tied with Panathinaikos and Bayern between the fourth and the sixth spot.
Evan Fournier with 19 points and 4/13 threes was the top scorer of Olympiacos, Shaq McKissic added 18 points on 3/5 threes, while Sasha Vezenkov and Nigel Williams-Goss had 14 points each.
“I don’t think I had the highest IQ today but I appreciate the coach for allowing me to play through my mistakes so I can find a rhythm”, modest Shaq said after the final buzzer.
Alpha Diallo with 21 points was the top scorer for Monaco which couldn’t close the game the right way.
Mike James had a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists as coach Vassilis Spanoulis got his first defeat with Monaco after a winning debut against Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague and one more win in the French domestic league.
Dramatic until the end
The first half was totally balanced. No team got more than a four-point advantage, and Olympiacos ended up leading 22-19 after the first period and 47-45 at halftime after a buzzer-beating three by Shaq McKissic.
McKissic finished the first 20 minutes of action with 13 points, while Giorgos Papagiannis had 11 points and Jaron Blossomgame 10 for Monaco.
The dogfight continued with Olympiacos leading 65-62 at the end of the third with Evan Fournier having 18 points.
Monaco tied the score at 66 and got the 68-67 lead after a made shot by Diallo. Nigel Williams-Goss with a three gave the lead back to Olympiacos (70-68).
McKissic made one more big three (75-71) only for James to answer back (75-74). Goss made one more big shot (78-74) and Matthew Strazel trimmed it again to a one-point game (78-77).
That was the last time that Monaco was close. Olympiacos with a 9-0 run, completed with a three by Vezenkov, got a 10-point distance (87-77) and the game was over.
Photo credit: Eurokinissi