Panathinaikos- Olympiacos 66-77
Olympiacos was better than Panathinaikos and got the win which gave him the pole position at the Greek Basket League regular season. James Gist was not available and it made Panathinaikos job even harder since the “Reds” dominated both paints, getting an 18-22 lead. The home team found the open shots needed while Batista begun to roll, staying close but they were not able to get to the driver’s seat.
The score at halftime was 34-38 but as soon as the two sides returned from the break, it was clear that Olympiacos was superior, with a 7-0 run which got them safely in front. Batista was locked down offensively while Spanoulis and Printezis kept the point difference to double digits, 48-62 after 30’. Diamantidis helped his team reach within 9 but Printezis quickly answered with a 3-pointer. Spanoulis scored another one and celebrated in a normal way which, however, brought some Panathinaikos fans inside the court, causing the game to stop, 1’30” before the end. Soon after the players returned, the game concluded and Olympiacos got a huge win on the road against their rivals. MVP was Printezis with 16 points and valuable defensive help. On the other side Batista was the game’s top scorer with 22.
