Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos and Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos showed why they are firmly in the 2025–26 EuroLeague MVP conversation
Greek derby: Two MVP performances, one winner
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 19 of 38
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
8287
Olympiacos PiraeusOLY
Overview
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Another Greek derby, another Olympiacos Piraeus victory.
Unlike domestic competition, Olympiacos has dominated Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the EuroLeague, and that trend continued Friday night. Olympiacos held on for an 82-87 road win at Telekom Center Athens, extending its EuroLeague winning streak over the Greens to 10 games. Panathinaikos’s last victory against Olympiacos in the competition came nearly five years ago, on February 5, 2021 (77-88).
The matchup offered a head-to-head showcase of two of the league’s elite players: Kendrick Nunn for Panathinaikos and Sasha Vezenkov for Olympiacos. Both delivered MVP-level performances, but Vezenkov received more support from his teammates – and that proved decisive.
Nunn’s night did not begin smoothly. He went scoreless in the first quarter, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Everything changed after that.
He buried back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter, then punctuated his surge with a one-handed put-back dunk. By halftime, Nunn had already scored 14 points. He continued to attack at all three levels, mixing midrange jumpers, deep shooting and aggressive drives to the rim while consistently drawing fouls.
After the opening quarter, Nunn made 12 of his next 13 shots and went a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. He finished with 32 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a PIR of 40 in a losing effort.
Vezenkov, by contrast, was steady throughout. His first basket – a three-pointer – capped an early Olympiacos surge and helped establish control. He scored in all four quarters and saved some of his best work for late, adding eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Vezenkov also secured Olympiacos’s final two rebounds to help close the game. He finished with 24 points on 4-of-7 shooting inside the arc, 4-of-8 from deep and 4-of-4 at the line, along with 9 rebounds and a PIR of 25, drawing just one foul.
Crucially for Olympiacos, others followed Vezenkov’s lead.
Tyler Dorsey delivered 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 23. Nikola Milutinov came one missed free throw short of a perfect statistical night, posting 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and no turnovers or fouls committed for a PIR of 27. Donta Hall added 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Olympiacos consistently found its centers and paired that interior presence with Vezenkov’s efficiency and Dorsey’s shot-making, allowing the Reds to lead for most of the night.
“We knew it was a big game,” Dorsey said. “There’s no extra motivation needed – the atmosphere and the feel of the game take care of that. I’m proud of our team. We’ve won three in a row now and we have more road games coming. This one felt good.
“It’s a long game. We had one bad lapse in the second quarter, and without that, we could’ve made it easier. But we made big plays at the end and got it done.”
Olympiacos claimed the result, but the MVP debate remains wide open. What looks certain is that when voting time arrives for coaches, media, team captains and fans, both Nunn and Vezenkov will be firmly in the conversation – especially if they continue performing as they did in their first game of 2026.
“We have a good team, and I don’t think anyone doubts that,” Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas said. “We stayed with the plan, although we were a bit nervous at the end and turned the ball over a few times. We also missed some free throws we usually make.
“But it’s a big win. I’m grateful to our players and I really believe in them. It’s not just about winning or losing – it’s about stability, spirit and unselfishness. Every game is difficult, but we have the philosophy to keep going.”
After a stretch of inconsistency, Olympiacos has now won three straight and will face the only team it has yet to play this EuroLeague season, visiting defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Tuesday, January 6.
