Reds beat Real Madrid, Greens thrash Villeurbanne
Less than three days after their league derby – that Panathinaikos Aktor won in Piraeus – the Greens and the Reds scored home wins of varying significance for the Euroleague at the start of another double week.
Olympiakos shook off its losing streak and the 78-71 home defeat to Panathinaikos on Sunday night to beat Real Madrid 79-69 on Tuesday.
This much-needed triumph for the Piraeus team came by way of its tight defense (partial 23-10 in the last quarter), that contained the visitors remarkably given that they usually exceed 80 points per game with ease.
More importantly, this win that had Sasha Vezenkov as its key figure (23 points, eight rebounds) will restore self-confidence in the Reds’ camp ahead of another tough game at home, against Barcelona on Thursday.
Olympiakos, that is now on a 3-3 record, also had Shaquielle McKissic score 15 points.
On Wednesday Panathinaikos strolled to a 4-2 record with a comfortable 92-68 win in Athens against Villeurbanne.
The European champions were a class above the improved French team, leading throughout the game at the Olympic Sports Hall and having a notable variety in their plays to please the crowd.
They were paced by Lorenzo Brown, who made 17 points in under 19 minutes, and Kendrick Nunn with 14 points.