Olympiacos Piraeus ended a difficult recent run against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade with a 92-86 victory on Thursday at Peace and Friendship Stadium, powered by a dominant second half from Sasha Vezenkov. The win strengthened the Reds’ position near the top of the EuroLeague standings after they had lost seven straight meetings against the Serbian side.
The forward struggled early with just six first-half points, but he adjusted his shot selection after the break and finished with 23 points, scoring 17 after halftime to shift the game’s momentum. His off-ball cuts and transition finishes forced the visitors to collapse defensively, opening space for perimeter shooters.
The Belgrade club started fast with an 8-2 run, but the hosts responded with consecutive stops and an 8-0 burst that turned the game into a physical half-court battle. Evan Fournier provided a spark off the bench, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second quarter by spacing the floor with four three-pointers.
Despite trailing most of the second half, Zvezda stayed close through offensive rebounding and pressure defense, finishing with a 38-32 advantage on the glass and forcing 14 turnovers. Jordan Nwora led the visitors with 21 points, while Jared Butler added 15 and kept the deficit manageable late in the fourth quarter.
The decisive stretch came midway through the fourth quarter when Thomas Walkup found Vezenkov on the perimeter for a pump fake and powerful dunk through contact that ignited the crowd. Moments later, the Bulgarian forward drilled a deep three-pointer with under a minute remaining to extend the margin to seven points.
Olympiacos finished with 23 assists, including 10 from Walkup, reflecting a balanced offensive approach that relied on ball movement rather than isolation scoring. Tyler Dorsey added 17 points, helping the Reds maintain spacing against a defense that tightened late.
Olympiacos will next visit Zalgiris Kaunas on Feb. 25, while the Serbian side returns home to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul as both clubs continue their playoff push.
