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Fenerbahce’s defense put the clamps on Olympiacos… again

Fenerbahce’s defense put the clamps on Olympiacos… again

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3 Mins read

Andy West

Fenerbahce’s defense put the clamps on Olympiacos… again

Playoffs

Game 4

game Olympiacos Piraeus vs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

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Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFBB

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Olympiacos PiraeusOLY

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Overview

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis has no doubt about exactly why his team – the eighth seed heading into the playoffs – has been able to force regular-season standings leader Olympiacos Piraeus into a fifth and decisive game in his native Greece next week.

Following Friday’s do-or-die 73-69 home victory, which kept Fenerbahce’s Final Four dreams alive, Coach Itoudis noted: “Overall in the series, strategically and defensively, we’ve managed to keep Olympiacos below 20 points in each quarter. I think [that in] only one quarter they scored 26. That’s a huge effort defensively.”

Although his exact figures aren’t quite accurate – Olympiacos scored 27 during the final quarter of Game 3 – his general point is absolutely right. With just 79, 78, 72 and 69 points scored in the four games, Olympiacos has been restricted to an increasingly lower points tally game by game, failing to reach the 80-point mark in four consecutive games for the first time this season. In fact, it never previously happened more than two games in a row. During the regular season, the Reds averaged 84 points per game; in the playoffs, that figure has dropped to just 74.5.

“They have extremely good and talented players and a great system,” continued Itoudis. “The fact that today they were sharing only 11 assists says something, too.” He’s right again, with Fenerbahce’s clever defensive schemes and all-out hustle enjoying great success in slowing down the Greek team’s usual fast tempo, as those 11 assists – nearly half the Olympiacos season average of 21.1 – were also accompanied by 14 turnovers.

Although the struggles of Sasha Vezenkov will get the most attention, an equally telling victim of Fenerbahce’s defense is sharpshooter Giannoulis Larentzakis, who averaged more than 1 triple per game during the regular season with a conversion rate of 39%. His figures so far in this playoff series? Just 1 field goal across the four games, with a 16.7% success rate.

Against Itoudis’s defensive schemes, nothing is coming easily for the Reds.

Game Videos

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Round 24 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:07
THT goes coast-to-coast! Motorola Magic Moment
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 24 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:16
Tyrique Jones skies for the rejection! Motorola Magic Moment
Top 10 Plays | Round 23 | 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season
Virtus Bologna-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:21
Hall beats the end-of-quarter buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
00:17
Biberovic with the stop on Niang! Motorola Magic Moment
Olympiacos Piraeus-Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:21
Vezenkov ends the first half in style! Motorola Magic Moment
00:21
Jones skies for the alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Valencia Basket | Round 22 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:27
Melli’s power dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 22 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:26
Donta Hall skies for the alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
00:24
Donta Hall attacks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
Olympiacos Piraeus-FC Bayern Munich | Round 21 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:19
Fournier at the buzzer from the corner! Motorola Magic Moment
00:10
Hall with the alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
00:09
Ward skies in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
Dubai Basketball-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 21 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 20 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:18
Hall throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
00:19
Brandon Boston turns defense into offense Motorola Magic Moment
00:10
Hall's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:18
Hall throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
00:22
Nicolo Melli drains a deep go-ahead three at the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
00:11
Papanikolaou throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
Virtus Bologna-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 18 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-FC Barcelona | Round 18 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:41
Baldwin block wins it for Fenerbahce! Motorola Magic Moment
00:21
THT with the steal and slam! Motorola Magic Moment
00:11
THT dips into his bag of tricks! Motorola Magic Moment
Olympiacos Piraeus-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | Round 17 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:26
Nikola Milutinov with the slam – and one! Motorola Magic Moment
00:22
Kostas Papanikolaou rocks the rim in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 17 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Round 16: Top 10 plays
Olympiacos Piraeus-Valencia Basket | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:08
Nikola Milutinov stops Jean Montero! Motorola Magic Moment
00:17
Talen Horton-Tucker rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
00:14
What a dunk from Horton-Tucker! Motorola Magic Moment
FC Barcelona-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 15 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 15 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
00:10
How on earth, Evan Fournier! Motorola Magic Moment
00:12
Baldwin beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
00:10
Donta Hall with the explosive put-back dunk! Motorola Magic Moment