Olympiacos Piraeus delivered a defensive masterclass on Friday night, defeating Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv 62-58 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. The Greek side snapped the Israeli club’s four-game winning streak while handing the EuroLeague leaders just their second defeat of the season.
After conceding 92 points to AS Monaco earlier in the week, Olympiacos responded by holding the league’s most explosive offense to its lowest output of the season. Hapoel, which entered the game averaging 93.0 points per contest, managed only four points in the third quarter—its fewest ever in a EuroLeague quarter.
Walkup’s intensity proved decisive in the closing minutes. With the score tied at 58, Nikola Milutinov hit a crucial basket to give Olympiacos a two-point lead. Walkup then drew an offensive foul on Vasilije Micic with 23 seconds left, sealing the game and igniting the home crowd.
Sasha Vezenkov led the Reds with 14 points, while Tyler Dorsey added 11 and Milutinov contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds. For Hapoel, Anthony Blakeney and Vasilije Micic each scored 10, but the visitors shot just 24% from beyond the arc and committed 14 turnovers.
The win lifted Olympiacos to 5-3, reinforcing their defensive identity after a shaky stretch at home. Hapoel, now 6-2, will look to rebound when it faces Dubai next Thursday, while Olympiacos hosts Partizan Belgrade in Round 9.
