Olympiacos was stubborn and dominant, crushed Monaco 94-64 and made it 2-0 in the EuroLeague playoff series, embracing the qualification to the Final Four in Athens (22-24/5).
Jiorgos Bartzokas’ team absolutely dominated, led by Sasha Vezenkov, who scored 21 points in just 20 minutes of action. Thomas Walkup, Shaquille McKisick, Kostas Papanikolaou, Evan Fournier and Doda Hall also made significant contributions, covering for Tyler Dorsey and Nikola Milutinov’s down night offensively.
The defining moment of the game came in the second quarter, when the Reds ran up a 31-8 partial score, turning the game into a one-man show. Monaco’s performance was disappointing, with Mike James being sent off before half-time and Daniel Tice leaving early due to injury.
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For Olympiacos, Frank Nilikina provided valuable defensive solutions, while Tyrick Jones got some playing time in the paint after missing the first game.
The series now moves to Monte Carlo for Game 3 (5/5, 20:45), with Olympiacos needing one more win to “seal” the qualification. If a fourth or fifth game is needed, these are scheduled for 7/5 and 12-13/5 respectively.
Jannis Antetokounmpo and Novak Djokovic were in the stands of the packed Peace and Friendship Stadium, where they watched another impressive performance of the Piraeus team.
THE REFERENCES: Poekle, Cortes, Cardum
THE DETAILS: 28-23, 59-31, 72-53, 94-64
