By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
With its best performance in the 2017-2018 Euroleague campaign so far, a still Vassilis Spanoulis-less Olympiacos defeated Khimki Moscow 92 – 75 to remain perfect after four rounds.
Meanwhile, Khimki’s debut venture outside of Moscow was combined with its first defeat following three victories at home. It’s a result that could act as a wake-up call for the Russians, a new squad that went through a major overhaul during the summer.
The Star: The Reds worked beautifully and in unison on offense with coach Giannis Sfairopoulos distributing time harmoniously. If we had to pick a player with a more significant impact than the rest, then we’d go with Nikola Milutinov who scored 17 points (one less than his career-high 18) with perfect shooting (8/8 from the field).
He influenced the game in diverse ways on offense while being a fierce rim protector and a nuisance for every Khimki player that tried to draw close to the hoop.
Sinking after the break: Khimki Moscow was down 49 – 40 at halftime but completely crumbled down in the third period. Coach Giorgos Bartzokas’ players were unable to pull off any stops, being one level below their opponents in terms of speed, energy, hustle and, more importantly, reading the game.
The guests fell back 74 – 53 at the end of the third and never recovered afterward.
Alexey Shved posted 23 points (but 5/17 from the field) and five assists, while Thomas Robinson showed once more that his adjustment in European basketball is more than notable, finishing with a double-double 19 points, 11 rebounds.
For Olympiacos, Giorgos Printezis also had 15 points and Hollis Thompson 12.