Reds succumb in Tel Aviv but Greens edge out Virtus
Olympiakos slipped up at Maccabi on Tuesday but remained second in the Euroleague, but Panathinaikos edged out Virtus Biologna in overtime at home.
Olympiakos suffered its first loss on the road, going down 90-84 at Maccabi in disappointing fashion, as once again it let its lead slip away.
For 32 minutes the Reds were particularly competitive, mostly staying in the lead in Israel and looking good for victory after the first three quarters (69-63 in the Greeks’ favor).
However Maccabi bounced back in the final quarter during which it scored 27 points against Olympiakos’ 15, while the rebounds played a key role in tipping the balance in favor of the hosts (40-26).
Sasha Vezenkov had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, just as Giannoulis Larentzakis posted a Euroleague career high of 21 points.
The Reds are now on a 6-3 record, joint second at the table, while Panathinaikos has risen to 3-6.
The Greens worked hard against Virtus Bologna at the Olympic Sports Hall of Athens and despite their erratic game they won 88-85 in overtime.
The Italians had the upper hand in the first half but Panathinaikos reduced the distance to three (38-41) by half-time and scored 29 in Q3 to advance by five (67-62). That was when the visitors’ defense changed to diminish the threat from the Greeks who were happy to take the gave to overtime with a Paris Lee basket 11 seconds from regulation.
In overtime Virtus led by three (83-80) but the Greens turned things around (8-2 partial) to win, paced by Derrick Williams with 26 points and Nate Wolters with 18.
