The Reds took a commanding lead and never looked back
Offensive explosion in second quarter was key to Olympiacos winning Game 4
Having drawn energy from its 80-82 overtime victory over Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday night, FC Barcelona started strong at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday. The visitors took a 19-23 lead with a few seconds left on the clock in the first quarter, but Olympiacos responded with a 17-0 run that saw it take control en route to a dominant 92-58 victory.
Shaquielle McKissic ended the first 10 minutes with a layup and what followed in the second quarter was an offensive explosion by the Greek side. Filip Petrusev hit 2 free throws and McKissic scored another layup soon after. Then, Giannoulis Larentzakis netted a triple and drew an unsportsmanlike foul before converting from the charity stripe. Nikola Milutinov slammed home a dunk and Nigel Williams-Goss nailed a triple to make it 36-23 to the hosts.
In fact, Barcelona went scoreless for four and a half minutes in the second quarter, with Jabari Parker ending the visitors’ drought from beyond the arc. Olympiacos outscored Barcelona 32-14 in the second quarter, with the Reds taking a 53-37 cushion into the second half. Those 53 points the hosts netted is a club record in the first half of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff game.
Speed of Olympiacos's play was key
Olympiacos may have produced a strong offensive display before the break, but head coach Georgios Bartzokas stressed afterward that it was the team’s defense that provided the offense with this boost in pace.
“We were decisive from the first possession defensively and offensively,” Bartzokas told EuroLeague TV. “We were really good on both ends, but our defense gave us a lot of pace, energy and confidence to shoot the ball well. Everybody contributed to this win, so having taken this huge difference means a lot to us.”
Having scored 77, 77 and 71 points after 40 minutes in the first three playoff games, Olympiacos struggled to find its range from deep. In fact, the Reds went 29.4% (5 for 17), 29.6% (8 for 27) and 26.9% (7 for 26) from deep, respectively, in the aforementioned duels. Yet, Olympiacos managed to improve its scoring efficiency from beyond the arc, having gone 12 for 24 (50.0%) on Thursday evening in Piraeus.
Should the Greek side record a similar percentage from downtown and maintain this pace on offense in Game 5, Olympiacos could become the first-ever team to win a Game 5 on the road and thus secure its third consecutive Final Four participation.