The Blaugrana had too much firepower for the injury-hit home side in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague classic which lived up to expectations.
Resourceful Barcelona overwhelmed Olympiacos in frantic finish
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Olympiacos Piraeus came close to pulling off what would have amounted to a fairytale home win against FC Barcelona in Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. However, the mighty visitors saved the best for last and prevailed 68-77 on the back of an 2-18 run in the last few minutes of a rip-roaring contest.
Few teams in the competition can boast such depth as Barcelona, which ground out the win against a shorthanded Olympiacos despite several of the Spanish team’s key players enduring a torrid evening. Willy Hernangomez, who stood out in the opening 91-74 home win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul with a game-high 18 points, was completely subdued by Olympiacos.
Laprovittola and Abrines stepped up big
The former NBA stalwart finished scoreless in 17 minutes on the court and playmaker Tomas Satoransky did not shine either, managing just 5 points against an aggressive home defense. Jabari Parker scored a mere 3 points, but the dynamic duo of Nicolas Laprovittola and Alex Abrines stepped up to the plate, combining for 33 points on 8-of-12 shooting from three-point range.
Laprovittola netted 17 points and Abrines added 16, cancelling out a valiant team effort by Olympiacos, which sorely missed the injured trio of Shaquielle McKissick, Luke Sikma and Nigel Williams-Goss. The game looked over as a contest when Barcelona engineered a 20-35 lead midway through the second quarter, but Olympiacos stormed back with aggressive defense to turn the tide and take a 66-59 lead.
Barcelona’s lethal three-point shooting had dried up in the second half after hitting 7-of-10 in the first, but the visitors showed their class when they needed to most. Satoransky ignited the final twist with a baseline triple, his only field goal of the game, paving the way for Laprovittola and Abrines to lead the charge which forced Olympiacos into submission.
Thomas Walkup was the home team’s driving force with 14 points, having pulled all the strings on offense while he also ground Satoransky to halt at the other end, but Barca ultimately thrived on its long-range artillery as it finished on 15-of-26 from three-point territory.
“We had a very good first quarter on both offense and defense, having stopped their weapons and they have many,” Barca head coach Roger Grimau said during his post-game press conference.
“We played very well in the fourth down the stretch, when we overturned a seven-point deficit into a win. They punished us with the pick and roll but we were able to fix that and come out on top.”
Coach Bartzokas's frustration
Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas, meanwhile, lamented the way in which his team allowed the likes of Abrines and Laprovittola to find their groove.
“It’s a bad start for us on home court this year; unfortunately, we didn’t control our emotions as we didn’t have the patience to follow the plan,” he commented. “Poor execution on offense and we also allowed good shooters like Abrines and Laprovittola to have a field day.
“When we were 7 points ahead, they responded with a pair of three-pointers, but I have to mention that our rotation was shorthanded today. Hopefully we will have all our injured players back soon, because it’s a tough schedule.”