Anadolu Efes escaped Peace and Friendship Stadium with a dramatic 82–78 win over Olympiacos in EuroLeague Round 4, capping one of the most intense games of the young season.
The matchup had a playoff-like atmosphere from the start as both teams traded blows in a fast-paced opening quarter. Tyler Dorsey and Alec Peters kept Olympiacos afloat with long-range accuracy, but Efes hit back with a blistering 2–16 run powered by Shane Larkin and Cole Swider to lead 28–25 after the first period.
Olympiacos responded with energy in the second quarter, taking advantage of Efes’s cold spell to reclaim the lead. Behind Sasha Vezenkov’s inside presence and Tyson Ward’s all-around play, the home side entered halftime ahead 51–48 after 11 lead changes in the first half.
The pace slowed in the third quarter as both coaches, Georgios Bartzokas and Igor Kokoskov, emphasized defense. Efes managed to hold Olympiacos to 16 points in the frame, setting up a tense finish.
With the score tied at 74–74 entering the final minutes, Donta Hall’s emphatic dunk briefly swung momentum back to the hosts. However, Isaia Cordinier answered with a corner three before Larkin’s clutch free throws sealed the victory.
Swider, a summer signing from the Toronto Raptors, led Efes with 20 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting in just 15 minutes off the bench. Larkin added 18 points and 3 assists, while big man Kai Jones contributed 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block in an energetic performance.
Cordinier’s 10 points proved crucial down the stretch, and center Georgios Papagiannis chipped in 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. As a team, Efes shot 42.9% from beyond the arc and outscored Olympiacos 15–11 in the final quarter.
For the Reds, Peters and Dorsey scored 14 and 11 points respectively, while Ward impressed with 13 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Vezenkov added 12 points but missed a late attempt to force overtime.
The night also carried special meaning for Olympiacos captain Kostas Papanikolaou, who reached his 400th EuroLeague appearance, becoming only the fifth player ever to hit that milestone.
Efes improved to 2–2 on the season, bouncing back from recent struggles, while Olympiacos dropped to the same record. The Turkish side will next host Panathinaikos, as the Greeks aim to regroup before traveling to face Maccabi Tel Aviv.
