Olympiacos Piraeus moved to first place in the EuroLeague standings on Friday night, but it took a gritty 82-74 win over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at LDLC Arena to get there.
The score line suggests control, yet the game was anything but comfortable for Georgios Bartzokas’ team. ASVEL, despite sitting at the bottom of the table, pushed the visitors all the way and kept the contest tight into the final minutes.
Olympiacos led 25-24 after the first quarter and widened the gap with a 22-15 second period to take a 47-39 halftime lead. ASVEL answered with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Reds 19-14 to cut the margin to 61-58 heading into the fourth.
The Greek club dominated the glass, finishing with a 47-30 rebounding advantage and 15 offensive boards. That extra work inside proved decisive against an ASVEL side that kept fighting despite losing its fifth straight game.
Sasha Vezenkov led Olympiacos with 23 points, while Nikola Milutinov and Donta Hall combined for 24 more. Evan Fournier added a timely three-pointer, and Vezenkov finished the job with a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper to close the door.
The victory improves Olympiacos to 23-12 and strengthens its push for home-court advantage in the playoffs. It also keeps the pressure on in a crowded top end of the standings, where every result can reshape the bracket.
Olympiacos will now prepare for a demanding double-round week that could shape the top of the standings. The Greek side hosts Real Madrid before traveling to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, two teams also competing for top-four positioning and home-court advantage in the playoffs.
ASVEL, now 8-27, will try to regroup before a double week that starts at Monaco on April 8 and continues at home against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on April 10.
