Olympiacos defeated Monaco in the Principality 82-105, made it 3-0 in the playoff series and qualified for the 5th consecutive Final 4 of the competition and the 15th in its history, with the goal of lifting the 4th cup in Athens.
The matchup
.
Olympiacos entered the game nervously, making mistakes and conceding a 7-0 lead to Monaco. Walkup’s 3-pointer cut the home team’s run short, only to get one from James and one from Papanikolaou to make it 10-6. Both teams had mismatches on offense, with Vezenkov failing to score from three-point range. The return from the timeout found the Piraeus players improved on defense, with Whoppap going 4/5 from 3-point range and Dorsey getting into the equation for the first red and white lead (17-26 first quarter score).
Olympiacos entered the second quarter with a three-pointer by Fournier, followed by Joseph’s first basket of the game (19-31). Bartzokas’ team only received one basket for about 2.5 minutes, while the difference reached +18 (20-38). The hosts could not respond, with Strzel and Blossomheim being the only ones to score baskets. Fournier continued to score from the three-point line, Peters was influential with his entry into the game and the difference reached +21 (31-52). Monaco saw the Piraeus team loosen up and managed to go on a 5-point run, with Bartzokas taking a timeout to cut the momentum. The visitors came back more serious, Jones scored a basket and a foul, only for Dorsey and McKissick to come in and make it 38-61 with 3-pointers. The 40-61 halftime score came on a James basket.
Olympiacos entered the 3rd quarter at a… relaxed pace, with Vezenkov scoring, while Monaco had answers with Blossomgame and James. But the difference remained high, with Milutinov also scoring his first points to make it 48-69 (those who had been used by Bartzokas had scored). The Piraeus team found a rhythm again, with Strazel being the only one to counter them. The 64-82 third-quarter score – due to the Reds’ slackness – made George Bartzokas a little angry.
Strazel and Blossomgame showed a willingness to cut the lead even more at the start of the fourth quarter (70-84). But Olympiacos was dominant and whenever it stepped on the gas, it seemed to have no problem. Things became even simpler for the Piraeus team when Strangel left the game in the middle of the quarter with a problem (he finished the game with 21 points). With new … bursts of three-pointers, Olympiacos again raised the difference to a level of absolute safety (79-97).
