The Reds starting frontcourt put up big numbers to carry the team to victory.
Peters and Fall career nights boosted Olympiacos
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Regular Season
Round 9 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Olympiacos Piraeus earned a hard-fought 88-83 win over visiting Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Thursday night to complete a perfect two-game week and take a big step forward in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
Despite having to douse a late run by Zvezda in the fourth quarter, the Reds set the foundations of their victory sooner, building a double-digit lead after the intermission that increased to 15 points midway through the last period.
Two of the main factors that allowed Olympiacos to take the reins of the game were its starting frontcourt of Alec Peters and Moustapha Fall. Both registered career nights, showing a deep connection to each other that turned into 54 of Olympiacos’s total points in the game, counting those they scored and those they assisted to the rest of the team.
“I guess we have a good connection. It’s good for us, it’s good for the team,” acknowledged Fall right after the game.” Fall finished with a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards, which marked his best rebounding night ever in the Euroleague. He also dished out 3 assists, with Peters being one of the most benefitted teammates from that.
“He is a very smart player, it’s easy to find him. He is always in the good spots, it’s kind of like Sasha [Vezenkov], he is moving well, has a good IQ. I hope our connection can continue as much as the season goes, which will be good for us all.”
Fall, who is averaging more than 30 minutes per game in the last three contests, knew that a lot is expected from him because of the injuries of some of his teammates. “Everybody needs to step up. We have a lot of injuries, we are missing players, we had some bad losses, that meant that everybody had to step up,” he said. “I try to compete as much as possible until Milutinov comes back and have the opportunity of sharing some playing time.”
Peters had also a big night against Zvezda, as he recorded a career-high 28 points, adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists for a PIR of 31. Peters scored consistently in all periods, making up - together with Fall - for the absences Olympiacos has been suffering from so far.
“At the beginning of the week I think everybody knew we gotta to step up, making a big step, especially with the double-week coming, not having the start that we wanted, not having the guys in the roster”, he said. “Everyone had to step up, and that’s me included. That means I needed to score for this team… These unbelievable teammates and coaches really help me out, so they must get credit.”
Asked about his connection with Fall, Peters wasn’t shy to praise his teammates big time.
“Big credit to Mous. He is playing a lot of minutes right now”, he emphasized. “We are asking a lot from him. He is creating, he is being everywhere on defense, big credit to him. He has been and anchor for this team in the last couple of years. With Niko [Milutinov] out, he’s made a big step.”