Greeks dismiss Spanish opposition in Euroleague
Panathinaikos and Olympiakos scored emphatic wins over Spanish opposition this week to boost their chances for a play-off spot in the Euroleague.
The Greens defeated host Unicaja Malaga in Spain with a 76-58 score on Thursday, for their fifth consecutive win in the Top 16 of the competition to reach a 6-3 record in the first nine games from a total of 14.
Having led 26-7 after the first period, Panathinaikos dominated the game in Spain as Malaga appeared unable to stop the in-form Greeks that have been boosted by the arrivals of Elliot Williams (16 points) and MarQuez Haynes (five points).
Reports in Spain said a Spanish basketball fan travelled 600 kilometers across the country to see the game in Malaga because he realized this was the last time he would be able to see Panathinaikos captain Dimitris Diamantidis in action, as he is in his last season.
Olympiakos desperately needed victory against Laboral Kutxa and proved it was more determined than its opponent, to win 82-68 in Piraeus on Friday.
The Reds shook off previous bad performances in Europe to scored their fourth win in nine games, relying on a good night in attack against a side that had almost twice as many turnovers (17 against nine).
Giorgos Printezis led the scoring for the Greek champion notching up 17 points. The game also marked the debut of forward Hakim Warrick with Olympiakos.
