The Serbian big man had a perfect second Olympiacos Piraeus debut as the Reds defeated Panathinaikos Athens 78-88 in overtime at OAKA.
'Tired' Milutinov dominated the Greek derby in absence of Fall
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Regular Season
Round 1 of 34
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Olympiacos Piraeus center Nikola Milutinov overcame the absence of frontcourt teammate Moustapha Fall as he fought through tiredness to dominate in the Reds’ 78-88 overtime victory against Greek rival Panathinaikos Athens.
Milutinov recorded 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. That production came in nearly 36 minutes for the 28-year-old, who missed nearly the entire second quarter due to foul trouble.
Watching on from the bench
Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas took the Serbian big man out just 34 seconds into the second quarter after he picked up 2 fouls, and Milutinov did not return until the second half.
With French center Fall unavailable, Bartzokas’s only other option inside was Luke Sikma, who stands just 2.03 meters tall. The American was no match on defense against Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort, which led to the Greens using that to their advantage to jump ahead by 10 points.
Milutinov stayed out of foul trouble the rest of the way and was able to help more on defense in the second half and overtime. He also created more space for the Reds’ shooters, who helped overcome Panathinaikos’s runs and quieten the OAKA crowd.
Stepping up in overtime
Milutinov played a major role in Olympiacos putting the game away with a 0-12 run to start the overtime period. The Reds had scored the first 5 points of overtime before Panathinaikos star guard Kostas Sloukas drove to the basket, but Milutinov batted the shot away. And then, despite having played nearly the entire second half and the first half of the extra session, Milutinov had the energy to follow the block up with a big alley-oop dunk over Mathias Lessort.
“Milutinov was pretty tired today because we didn’t have Moustapha Fall to give him some time to rest,” Bartzokas said afterward.
“I’m feeling good,” Milutinov commented after the game, though he clearly looked tired. “It was a tough game. Panathinaikos is a great team. It was a great game. Panathinaikos played great in front of their great fans. It’s good to start the season with a win.”
Milutinov knows he will not have to perform like that every game. But the good thing, following his return to the club over the summer, is that Olympiacos knows it can count on him if needs be.
Game Videos
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