Olympiacos powers past Real Madrid to share first place, 73-60

Olympiacos Piraeus overcame Real Madrid 73-60 in a full-blooded powerhouse battle at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night. The teams now have identical records at 13-7, locked in a four-way tie for first place, but Olympiacos now holds the head-to-head advantage after this victory.
Olympiacos edged a tight first half and extended its lead to double digits early in the third. Real could never get its offense going, as the hosts maintained a comfortable advantage until the end. Thomas Walkup led the Reds with 18 points, while Sasha Vezenkov scored 15 and Kostas Sloukas had 11 points and 6 assists. Walter Tavares and Dzanan Musa both scored 12 for Real.
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Tavares scored twice early for Real, but Walkup and Kostas Papanikolaou matched that for a 12-8 lead. Tavares added another pair of baskets, yet Walkup’s triple made it 19-15 after 10 minutes. Mario Hezonja’s fastbreak slam capped a 0-8 run to send Real ahead, but a three-pointer by Kostas Sloukas and two layups by Shaquielle McKissic gave the hosts a 36-28 halftime lead. Vezenkov and Gabriel Deck both scored twice early in the third, 45-37, and Isaiah Canaan’s triple helped make it 54-44 after three quarters. After a low-scoring start to the final period, McKissic and Tarik Black scored tough baskets for a 60-48 lead. Olympiacos’s defense continued to hold firm as Real failed to find rhythm. Then, Black scored at the rim again to wrap up a crucial win.