Olympiacos Piraeus marked its EuroLeague home debut in style on Friday night, cruising to an 86–67 win over competition newcomer Dubai Basketball at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
Despite missing key players Evan Fournier, Thomas Walkup, Keenan Evans, and Shaquielle McKissic, Georgios Bartzokas’s squad produced a convincing all-around performance built on balanced scoring, disciplined defense, and strong rebounding.
Sasha Vezenkov led the way with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and a performance index rating of 34 in less than 24 minutes. Nikola Milutinov added a double-double of his own with 13 points and 11 boards, including five on the offensive glass.
Tyler Dorsey continued his resurgence with 14 points, while new additions Frank Ntilikina and Tyson Ward impressed in their home debuts by connecting from deep. Center Donta Hall energized the crowd with two emphatic blocks and added five points and four rebounds in a productive display off the bench.
Olympiacos controlled the game on both ends of the floor, shooting 58.8% from two-point range and 36.4% from beyond the arc. The Reds dominated the glass 43–28 and recorded seven blocks, holding Dubai to just 16.7% shooting from three-point distance.
Dubai’s Dwayne Bacon led his team with 13 points, while Filip Petrusev contributed 14. However, the visitors struggled to find rhythm against Olympiacos’s physical defense and trailed by double digits for much of the night.
Olympiacos took control early, building a 23–16 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 43–31 by halftime. The third period proved decisive, as the Reds outscored Dubai 28–21 to remove any doubt about the outcome.
With the victory, Olympiacos improves to 2–1, reinforcing its position among early contenders. For Bartzokas and his players, the challenge now is maintaining this momentum in a season where expectations are once again sky-high.
