Olympiakos lays down the rules on Panathinaikos
Olympiakos won the first game between the two Greek rivals in the Euroleague on Friday, beating Panathinaikos 78-71 away.
The so-called old guard of the Reds made the difference for the visitors at the Olympic Sports Hall, with Giorgos Printezis and Vassilis Spanoulis shining, while returnee Kostas Sloukas got injured in the first half and could not rise up to the game in the second.
Olympiakos was on top through out the derby, played before empty stands, but in the second half saw its lead cut from 15 points to just four (62-58). Yet it always managed to outsmart the Panathinaikos defense and fend off the Greens’ challenge to win comfortable in the end.
The Greens covered most of the distance but their insistence on triples cost them dearly as they could not find the target when it most mattered in the last quarter of the game.
Printezis notched up 17 points for Olympiakos with Shaquielle McKissic adding another 10. Marcus Foster made 15 or Panathinaikos and Ioannis Papapetrou added 14.
The result means that both Greek teams are on a 1-1 record.
