Olympiacos Piraeus continued its sustained control of the Greek derby in EuroLeague play, holding off Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for an 87–82 road win on Friday, January 2, at Telekom Center Athens.
The result extended Olympiacos’s EuroLeague matchups winning streak over its Athens rival to 10 straight games. Panathinaikos’s last victory against the Reds in the competition dates back to February 5, 2021.
The matchup again revolved around two of the league’s premier scorers, Kendrick Nunn and Sasha Vezenkov. Both delivered elite individual performances, but Olympiacos received steadier production across its rotation.
Nunn’s night began quietly, as he went scoreless in the opening quarter while missing all three of his attempts from three-point range. His rhythm shifted early in the second period, when consecutive triples ignited the crowd and his own offensive flow.
From that point forward, the American guard controlled the game offensively. Nunn scored 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting after the first quarter and converted all seven of his free throws, adding five rebounds, six assists and a PIR of 40.
Vezenkov countered with efficiency rather than volume. The Olympiacos forward scored in all four quarters and delivered eight points in the final period, stabilizing the visitors during Panathinaikos’s late push.
Vezenkov finished with 24 points on 4-of-7 shooting inside the arc and 4-of-8 from deep, along with nine rebounds and a PIR of 25. He also secured the final two defensive rebounds to help close the game.
Support proved decisive for Olympiacos. Tyler Dorsey added 21 points, four rebounds and three assists while drawing six fouls, posting a PIR of 23. Nikola Milutinov controlled the paint with 10 points on perfect shooting, nine rebounds and no turnovers for a PIR of 27.
Olympiacos leaned heavily on its interior presence, consistently finding Milutinov and Donta Hall, who contributed eight points and seven rebounds. That balance allowed the Reds to lead for most of the night despite Nunn’s scoring surge.
Panathinaikos struggled from the perimeter, finishing 7-of-28 from three-point range. The Greens shot 59.5 percent on two-point attempts but could not generate enough spacing to counter Olympiacos’s defensive discipline late.
Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman watched his team fall to 12–7, matching Olympiacos’s 11–7 mark after the win.
Olympiacos has now won three straight and will visit defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on January 6. Panathinaikos will host EA7 Emporio Armani Milan the same night.
Following the contests, fans can explore casino bpay for additional entertainment.
