Olympiacos Piraeus produced the biggest comeback in EuroLeague history, overturning a 28-point deficit to defeat Valencia Basket 102-97 after overtime on Tuesday at Roig Arena.
Jean Montero led the reigning champions with 26 points against his former team, while Evan Fournier added 23 as Olympiacos recovered from a disastrous first half to secure a remarkable road victory. Nikola Mirotic scored a team-high 19 points for Valencia, which let a commanding advantage slip away.
Valencia appeared to be in complete control from the opening minutes. The hosts started with a 10-0 run, dictated the pace and continued to build their lead throughout the first half. Mirotic helped set the tone as Valencia scored 59 points before halftime, taking a 59-34 advantage into the break.
The hosts also moved the ball effectively, recording 18 assists in the first 20 minutes while forcing nine Olympiacos turnovers. Several key Olympiacos players struggled to make an impact, leaving head coach Georgios Bartzokas searching for answers.
Valencia extended its lead to 28 points just over two minutes into the second half, but Olympiacos refused to give up. The visitors outscored Valencia 25-12 in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 71-59 and building momentum for a dramatic finish.
Montero, who had an emotional return to Valencia, became the driving force behind the comeback. He scored 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting, made nine of his 10 free throws and drew 11 fouls. Fournier provided another major contribution as Olympiacos scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to erase the deficit.
The visitors even moved in front during the closing stages, but Montero missed a potential game-winning three-pointer before the end of regulation. With the score tied, the game went to overtime, where Olympiacos completed the turnaround by outscoring Valencia 12-7.
[td_flex_block_1 category_id="" custom_title="MORE FOR YOU" header_color="#e91e63" td_filter_default_txt="" tag_slug="" sort="random_7_day" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0IjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tbGVmdCI6IjI1IiwicGFkZGluZy10b3AiOiIxMSIsInBhZGRpbmctcmlnaHQiOiIyNSIsInBhZGRpbmctYm90dG9tIjoiMTEiLCJwYWRkaW5nLWxlZnQiOiIyNSIsImJhY2tncm91bmQtY29sb3IiOiIjZjNmNGY2IiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiIsIi0tdGRiLXNjcm9sbC1hbmltIjoibm9uZSJ9LCJwaG9uZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tcmlnaHQiOiIwIiwibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQiOiIwIiwicGFkZGluZy1yaWdodCI6IjE1IiwicGFkZGluZy1sZWZ0IjoiMTUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBob25lX21heF93aWR0aCI6NzY3fQ==" mx3f_title_font_transform="" mx3f_title_font_weight="700" title_tag="h3" all_modules_space="0" video_popup="" image_size="td_218x150" image_height="65" image_floated="eyJwaG9uZSI6ImZsb2F0X2xlZnQifQ==" autoplay_vid="" show_vid_t="none" modules_category="image" modules_category_margin="eyJhbGwiOiI1cHgiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjVweCJ9" modules_extra_cat="hide" show_author="none" show_date="none" show_com="none" show_review="none" show_excerpt="none" show_audio="none" show_btn="none" f_title_font_size="15" f_title_font_line_height="1.25" f_title_font_weight="600" f_title_font_spacing="-0.2" cat_bg="#e16e00" modules_divider="solid" category_ids="-4430,-5489,-11" show_cat="" modules_on_row="eyJhbGwiOiIzMy4zMzMzMzMzMyUiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjEwMCUifQ==" limit="3" meta_info_align="" modules_divider_color="#333333" image_width="eyJhbGwiOiIxMDAiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjQwIn0=" meta_info_border_color="" modules_border_color="" modules_gap="15" m_padding="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjE1cHggMHB4IDE1cHggMHB4In0=" art_title="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjBweCAwcHggMHB4IDE1cHgifQ==" video_icon="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjIwIn0=" f_cat_font_size="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjgifQ=="]Valencia had four other players score in double figures: T.J. Shorts finished with 16 points, Kameron Taylor had 15, Armoni Brooks added 14 and Nathan Reuvers scored 13. However, the hosts could not maintain their early dominance and suffered their first defeat of the season after opening with four consecutive wins.
Olympiacos improved to 4-1, keeping pace near the top of the EuroLeague standings. The Greek side visits Barcelona on Friday, while Valencia, now 4-1, hosts Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on Thursday.
