The Reds bounced back from their Round 2 defeat at Real Madrid by giving Dubai a dose of reality
Olympiacos home opener provides reasons to believe
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 3 of 38
Regular Season
Olympiacos PiraeusOLY
8667
Dubai BasketballDUB
Overview
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After starting the new EuroLeague season with a pair of road trips, Olympiacos Piraeus was playing in front of its own fans for the first time with Friday night’s visit from competition newcomer Dubai Basketball.
And Georgios Bartzokas’s team – missing Evan Fournier, Thomas Walkup, Keenan Evans and Shaquielle McKissic – took full advantage of the opportunity to show the Reds’ faithful that they have lots to look forward to this season, roaring to a convincing 86-67 victory thanks to a strong combination of potent offense and dominating defense.
For starters, there were bright moments from some of the summer signings who were making their home debuts.
Center Donta Hall got the fans on their feet with a couple of bone-crunching blocked shots, also adding 5 points and 4 rebounds in a solid performance, while shooters Frank Ntilikina – making his Olympiacos debut – and Tyson Ward showed their long-range shooting prowess by netting from deep.
Elsewhere, Tyler Dorsey – a largely unused player last season – continued his recent rejuvenation by knocking down 14 points, while Nikola Milutinov also proved that he is still one of the league’s most dominant big men with his second double-double of the season as he recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds, including 5 at the offensive end.
Then, of course, there was star man Sasha Vezenkov getting up to his usual seemingly straightforward tricks: 25 points, 11 rebounds and a PIR of 34 in less than 24 minutes for the brutally consistent power forward.
More than just individual performances, the team’s collective stats make impressive reading. Shooting percentages were strong, with 20 of 34 from two-point range (58.8%) and 8 of 22 for three (36.4%). The rebounding battle was comfortably won (43-28), and determined defense was underlined by 7 blocked shots and Dubai converting just 4 of its 24 three-point attempts (16.7%).
Coach Bartzokas was certainly appreciative of his team’s work and cautioned against underestimating the threat that Dubai had posed, telling EuroLeague TV: “In the EuroLeague, there are no easy nights.
“We are talking about a [Dubai] team with special offensive talent. [Dwayne] Bacon, a lot of shooters around him, good big men. Every win in EuroLeague, you need to really appreciate it.”
With just three games played there is still a long way to go, and as much as anything else Olympiacos will have to confront the mental demons that shall inevitably arise after repeatedly coming close but failing to land the title in the last few seasons. The added pressure and expectation created by a nearby Final Four on the floor of bitter local rivals Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens will also loom large.
That, however, is all to come. For now, the Reds and their fans can simply reflect upon a home opener that couldn’t have gone much better.
“The feeling is amazing,” said Milutinov as he savored playing in front of his team’s fans again. “After so many months, being back here with them again is extraordinary.
“I’m just trying to take the wins for the team, go from game to game and see how far we can go.”
How far can they go? Perhaps, this time, all the way.
