Olympiacos fights off Barcelona 59-63 in Game 5 thriller
Olympiacos Piraeus is back to its third straight Final Four after to a dramatic, defensive-minded 59-63 road win over FC Barcelona. Olympiacos now heads to Berlin where it will playing in the semifinals against Real Madrid, in a rematch of last year's championship game.
I was a historic night for the Reds, one at the beginning of which home teams had a perfect 19-0 record in Games 5s in EuroLeague Playoffs history. But Olympiacos became the second road team on Wednesday night alone to clinch a best-of-five series, just hours after Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul did the same in Monaco.
In this game, Olympiacos spent most of the night trailing, and got its first lead, 47-49, on a Shaquielle McKissic triple with exactly 5 minutes to go. Soon after, the Reds added a 0-8 run in a span of just 42 seconds, to open a 49-57 margin, which they managed to keep until the final buzzer, booking a place at the Final Four.
McKissic scored 9 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. Kostas Papanikolaou scored 5 of his 11 in the final 3 minutes, while Nikola Milutinov collected 10 points and 10 rebounds in a historic victory. Nicolas Laprovittola paced Barcelona with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Alex Abrines finished with 13 points, while Ricky Rubio had 6 points, 4 assist and 5 steals in defeat.
Game Videos
- 00:37
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Chimezie Metu: 'It's only up from here for us'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/New-yG2ZTik/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 22 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
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Parker's chase-down block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:49
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/16/XVIuqR6GA3TsZHFwM92QIMeLOviecjNz-1737065446321.jpg]()
Nikola Milutinov: 'This is a really big step for us'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d04c973d-88d5-4617-bba4-01463dbfe9f8.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 22 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/16/63sPUvVSkFWYmgUtgTewVzUhyE4ScLbR-1737063881801.jpg]()
Milutinov posterizes Garuba! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/175ec6cd-68b2-4e68-b2ce-94a39bdf28fb.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A106%3A79]()
Milutinov takes off! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:38
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/15/5GtNZ2aINsCz67x2eUuhm7h0rcrlT5Xm-1736979981357.jpg]()
Jabari Parker: 'We gave the fans what they wanted'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f41f4055-3c9f-4312-a8c5-c121a554bfa0.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/15/59acnh4oLwIlqMq2u5UPC9N9qsM7VeBF-1736979023827.jpg]()
Air Metu! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/068f2642-67aa-406e-9df3-ce4d25a83ae6.jpg?crop=1172%3A659%3Anowe%3A76%3A40]()
Parker's fastbreak dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:15
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/14/4bw68VoSyRmCYenjp6bd9cd6PtbHjg9v-1736892446775.jpg]()
Evan Fournier: 'We really needed to dig deep tonight'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/lS-5zq9D4OM/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/34d26b27-022b-4dff-8953-29072c2cac28.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A67%3A70]()
Vezenkov’s over-the-head dish to Fall! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/62086a67-a126-4dd9-886d-27b37c63d1c6.jpg?crop=4000%3A2250%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Episode No. 16 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast is out now!
- 02:30
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/10/dWGSPHIQXmb3y6jAJgb8Yk9mEzpmFWnV-1736546424796.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov: 'I would never dream to set history for this big club'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/BrkoFi0DfJg/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 20 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:25
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4c5e5848-f6f3-45a7-819c-268992e72e04.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A146]()
Fall’s monster slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:45
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/09/9GgGAdKCLJoiIk1AORlZuYobgHVDBmdJ-1736458205133.jpg]()
Dario Brizuela: 'This win is huge for us'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/LK1TMgmIHv8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
AS Monaco-FC Barcelona | RS Round 20 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:03
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/03/OktkOyvsoPhtTOFxelWauxW1rVpY9sXi-1735942013583.jpg]()
Willy Hernangomez: 'Our fans in Barcelona deserve wins'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/MVK1OzWrXcU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-FC Barcelona | RS Round 19 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4c649199-2b60-4845-9e18-77132c3d8960.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A152%3A39]()
Brizuela to Metu alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:02
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/01/02/nTP0TTtAb90gCSASDaomY6HOdIGbjDBX-1735848075482.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov: 'Second half was our best defense this year'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/mIxfpti_duo/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 19 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d94e7f3a-f416-4e13-9fb3-2ad40714980f.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A88%3A41]()
Milutinov dunks off Williams-Goss’s alley-oop dish! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/SniFAQLi7BU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6d1232dd-aabc-4627-9d0a-6c92d02dffd7.jpg?crop=1225%3A689%3Anowe%3A99%3A59]()
Brizuela's half-court shot! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7b7e725c-8b31-41e7-adf1-81b6020004ec.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A115%3A26]()
Vesely reaches 4,000 points! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/17591626-e92f-4d70-8367-330c28be9494.jpg?crop=1220%3A686%3Anowe%3A0%3A92]()
Parker stops Daum! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:48
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/26/q9iG5Le9a1mrcaSIF92Caz6eOOu9KP8i-1735251495707.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov: 'This team has a very high ceiling'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9cad4c56-ad6f-4c95-b6c2-5497d0e1880b.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:19
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4c5e5848-f6f3-45a7-819c-268992e72e04.jpg?crop=1205%3A678%3Anowe%3A100%3A91]()
Fall’s monster slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:21
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/20/vs5ExyHSOWBsx6nBYopp8cciJ9mZP4PF-1734737677154.jpg]()
Evan Fournier: 'The fans are showing me so much love'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5f67b32e-ec3f-4741-9352-c34ce6ee1c1b.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/MNO1RPkJITw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-FC Barcelona | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0c2861e2-6311-4d04-9f5f-1d48c453aed2.jpg?crop=1250%3A704%3Anowe%3A50%3A50]()
Great reverse slam from McKissic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c04a8bf8-d88a-482f-b804-bc0e00f92630.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A118%3A40]()
Fall with a big two-hander! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0c37103a-2490-4008-aa2b-2187d96b3c34.jpg?crop=1172%3A659%3Anowe%3A83%3A65]()
McKissic with a huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:34
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/18/TvN8Rz7xLiJ4q131G2Fk2ChFufDpRjgI-1734558979792.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov: 'We are a great team and we need to prove it every week'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2705678b-bcca-415f-867f-87dc8c8d2cc3.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/397f4153-095b-47b1-9f9f-e18c0bd7adc4.jpg?crop=1279%3A719%3Anowe%3A18%3A146]()
Milutinov with a huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/36806259-9f66-44e5-b34f-d4071f91fb78.jpg?crop=1183%3A666%3Anowe%3A95%3A49]()
A big dunk from Vezenkov! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:19
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/17/GwKuZXnjPZZHGsfnnOy90wdV1yZlCu71-1734477186412.jpg]()
Justin Anderson: 'We had to put on a show'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/p9QCpDvgzAQ/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/17591626-e92f-4d70-8367-330c28be9494.jpg?crop=1302%3A733%3Anowe%3A48%3A94]()
Jabari Parker with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1412894e-5172-484a-9d4e-12b852388528.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/r7-EPf12MxY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c8a31c83-b5ac-405e-8d70-ab9d777f7a4a.jpg?crop=790%3A444%3Anowe%3A425%3A149]()
Parra's backdoor slam! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/gSh0AE1ujw8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-Paris Basketball | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
Low-scoring first half
Barcelona and Olympiacos struggled offensively early on. The Reds needed 4 minutes to score their first points, while Laprovittola scored all Barcelona points for an 8-2 lead. Papanikolaou hit one from long range for the visitors, but Barcelona remained in front and led 12-9 after the first 10 minutes, the lowest scoring first quarter in the playoffs since 2009.
Barcelona pulled away behind its defense, and close-range baskets from Willy Hernangomez and Jabari Parker opened an 18-9 lead. But Milutinov was doing the job inside for the Reds, and baskets from Nigel Williams-Goss, Alec Peters and McKissic cut it to 22-17. Olympiacos kept making defensive stops, and used another basket from Williams-Goss, and a put-back from Moses Wright to get within 27-25 at halftime.
The Reds fight back and in front
Olympiacos closed the gap to 29-28 after Isaiah Canaan's three-point play, but Barcelona found a way to pull away thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by Jan Vesely's dunk and capped by a transition three from Alex Abrines. Olympiacos answered with 6 consecutive points through Thomas Walkup and Filip Petrusev, before Papanikolaou's triple tied the game for the first time since the first quarter, 40-40, which was the score after 30 minutes.
Rubio and Hernangomez restored Barcelona's lead, which grew to 47-42. But Olympiacos slowly melted the deficit, before McKissic's triple, the visitors' only fourth of the night, gave Olympiacos its first lead of the game, 47-49 with exactly 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer and a fastbreak layup from McKissic, followed by a Papanikolaou triple made it 49-57 with, a 0-8 run in just 42 seconds. Barcelona was not done, scoring the next 5 points and had a possession in the final minute to tie it. But but McKissic stole a ball, and Papanikolaou found Milutinov all alone for an easy dunk and 54-59, and there was not coming back for Barcelona.
Game Leaders
