Giorgos Printezis Olympiacos
Photo: Euroleague Basketball

Seven months after their last game, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos played against each other for the second round of this season’s Euroleague with the team from Piraeus getting a very important win, 71-78, in the Greek “Classico”.

With both teams not having a great night from the perimeter and Nemanja Nedovic not at his best performance, Olympiacos left the Olympic Stadium in Athens with their first win this season.

Giorgos Printezis was the top scorer for Olympiacos with 17 points, as Shaquielle McKissic added another 10. For Panathinaikos, Marcus Foster with 15 points and Ioannis Papapetrou with 14 tried to keep the “Greens” close to the score.

After a slow start in the first quarter with both teams not being able to score for three minutes, Olympiacos took an early six-point lead in the match that managed to extend to 12 points, later in the first quarter (7-19).

With Panathinaikos finding difficulties in both offense and defense, Olympiacos completed the first quarter with a three-point shot from Vassilis Spanoulis and a 10-point lead (12-22).

With a monster block from Hassan Martin on Nemanja Nedovic and Olympiacos keeping the difference to 10 points, the team from Piraeus played great defense in the second quarter without letting Panathinaikos find their easy way to the basket.

With the difference reaching even 15 points (20-35), five minuteds before the end of the first half, Panathinaikos tried to stay in the game and with a three-point shot from Leonidas Kaselakis, the “Greens” went to the locker rooms trailing by nine points.

With Panathinaikos determined to get back on the game, coach Vovoras and his players started the second half strong and they even managed to bring the difference between the two teams to six points (40-46).

That’s when Giorgos Printezis extended the lead for Olympiacos. With some great offensive efforts from Kostas Sloukas and Shaquielle McKissic and with two crucial two-point shots from Nemanja Nedovic and Howard Sant-Roos, both teams ended the third quarter with Olympiacos leading by five (57-62).

In the fourth and final quarter, Panathinaikos managed to bring the score to a four-point difference with Howard Sant-Roos scoring for the “Greens”. That’s when coach Vovoras and his players tried to make an effort to return to the game but that’s also when Shaquielle McKissic and Sasha Vezenkov brought back the 10-point lead for Olympiacos (62-72).

Five consecutive points from Nemanja Nedovic were Panathinaikos’ last try to get back on the game. Olympiacos didn’t get affected by that and got a very important road win, 71-78.