Olympiacos stave-off Maccabi comeback
EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 3
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 68 - 69 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| (18 - 18) (33 - 35) (45 - 51) (68 - 69) |
The Piraeus giants were under pressure late in the fourth quarter but managed to hold on to stay perfect in the EuroLeague thus far.
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Olympiacos improved to 3-0 on the season in the EuroLeague following a gutsy 69-68 win against Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv in Israel on Tuesday night.
In what was a tight contest from start to finish, a missed Norris Cole shot at the final buzzer would prove to be costly for Maccabi as the hosts fell to 2-1 on the season.
Still without captain Vassilis Spanoulis, it was another Greek international who steers Olympiacos to victory as Georgios Printezis put in another clutch performance with 21 points to keep the Olympiacos unbeaten run alive.
Despite the late miss, Cole was very much the protagonist for Maccabi as his 22-points led all scorers on the night; however, defense would prove to be the deciding factor at the Menora Mivtachim Arena.
Both sides failed to take the initiative in the opening quarter as a back-and-forth developed en route to an 18-18 score at the end of the first frame.
The second quarter tipped the game slightly in Olympiacos’ favour as the Erythrolefki would carve out a narrow lead by halftime. Hollis Thompson would provide the definitive play of the frame as he converted clutch steal on the defensive end into an emphatic dunk on the offensive side.
Olympiacos would expand their lead in the third quarter as another low scoring quarter saw Olympiacos win-out 16-12 to stretch the lead to 51-45.
With the lead intact, Olympiacos would withstand a late Maccabi comeback that would see Maccabi take possession in the dying moments with a chance to win the game with a two-pointer. Cole surged towards the Olympiacos basket, but pressure from the Olympiacos defense would ensure Cole’s floating effort would bounce off the rim.
The win keeps Olympiacos perfect at 3-0 along with Real Madrid and Khimki Moscow Region, with the latter travelling to Piraeus on Thursday to lock horns with Olympiacos in a battle of two undefeated sides. Meanwhile, Maccabi return to action on the same night when they travel to Serbia to take on Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade.
