Olympiacos Piraeus opened its EuroLeague playoff campaign with a 91-70 win over AS Monaco on Tuesday, April 28, at Peace and Friendship Stadium.
The regular-season leader imposed its defensive identity early, holding the league’s second-best offense 20 points below its 90.5 average.
Monaco stayed close in the opening quarter and led 20-19 after 10 minutes, but the hosts shifted control with a decisive second period.
Olympiacos outscored the visitors 26-16 in the second quarter, closing the half on a 10-0 run to build a 45-36 lead.
Cory Joseph played a central role in that stretch, scoring 7 of his 13 points in the quarter while providing defensive pressure and ball control.
The veteran guard finished with 13 points on perfect efficiency from deep and the free-throw line, adding four assists and a steal in under 19 minutes.
Olympiacos extended its advantage in the second half by controlling the paint and limiting perimeter looks.
The Greek side forced Monaco into 4-of-28 shooting from three-point range, disrupting spacing and forcing lower-efficiency attempts.
Inside, Olympiacos converted 25-of-41 two-point shots and finished with a 45-40 rebounding edge, including 10 offensive boards.
Nikola Milutinov anchored that effort with 13 points and 10 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive glass, creating second-chance opportunities.
Sasha Vezenkov led all scorers for the home side with 20 points, while Evan Fournier and Thomas Dorsey each added 13 and 11 respectively.
Monaco relied on Mike James, who finished with 19 points and seven assists, but the supporting cast struggled to generate consistent offense.
Alpha Diallo contributed 15 points, while Elie Okobo was limited to eight points on 4-of-9 shooting.
The visitors shot 48.9 percent inside the arc but could not compensate for their 14.3 percent accuracy from long range.
Olympiacos maintained control in the fourth quarter by limiting turnovers to 11 and sustaining defensive intensity across all units.
The result gives Olympiacos a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, reinforcing its home-court advantage after finishing first in the regular season.
Game 2 will again be played in Piraeus, where the Greek side will aim to extend its lead before the series shifts to Monaco.
