A season-best performance by Papanikolaou returns Olympiacos to victorious way / News - Basketnews.com

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Olympiacos Piraeus (16-8) skidded the successful Zalgiris Kaunas (7-17) series at Zalgirio Arena.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Kostas Papanikolaou Points 18 Accuracy 6-10 Rebounds 5 Assists 4

The Greek giants did not repeat the mistakes of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, overcoming Lithuanian champions 84-73 (15-20, 24-19, 19-20, 26-14). Olympiacos recovered after the latest EuroLeague loss to ALBA Berlin.

Moreover, the Greek powerhouse reached its first victory in Kaunas since the 2016-17 season. Prior to this duel, Oly lost six straight matches there.

After very close first three quarters (59-58), everything depended on the last 10 minutes of the game.

Olympiacos opened the last quarter with an 8-0 push and retook game control in their hands (66-59). Tyler Dorsey and Kostas Papanikolaou initiated Oly's perfect stretch.

Tyler Cavanaugh scored 8 points in a row for Zalgiris to keep them in the fighting distance (67-72) with 5 minutes left on the clock.

Both clubs exchanged with efficient attacks, while Josh Nebo committed an unsportsmanlike foul. Olympiacos got maximum from this episode, converting two shots from the line and then scoring the triple (79-69).

Edgaras Ulanovas poured in a duo (71-79), as both clubs experienced the points drought in the next couple of minutes. Lukas Lekavicius terminated the silence, contributing with the basket (73-79) with 1:17 to go. However, Kostas Sloukas hit a dagger on the other end and Olympiacos celebrated the hard-fought W.

Kostas Papanikolaou had his best game in the 2021-22 season. The Greek forward accumulated 18 points (3/4 2PT, 3/6 3PT, 3/3 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 23 PIR.

"We picked up our intensity, made some defensive stops, and made some big shots. It's not easy to play here. Zalgiris recently has beaten some very tough teams at home. They are a very good team, so we are happy to get the win," Papanikolaou said after a victorious effort.

Olympiakos Piraeus / Schedule

ALBA Berlin Olympiakos Piraeus90-75 Zalgiris Kaunas Olympiakos Piraeus73-84 Olympiakos Piraeus Panathinaikos AthensThu19:00 Olympiakos Piraeus CSKA MoscowSun19:30

Hassan Martin added 13 points (5/8 2PT, 3/6 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 block, and 21 PIR.

"The key was that we shot a very low percentage on threes the whole game, but in the end, we created some really open looks for some good players on shooting - like Sloukas and Vezenkov - and we did a great job on the offensive rebounds," Georgios Bartzokas spoke on crucial game details.

Josh Nebo registered a double-double for the losing side. The athletic center posted 17 points (7/9 2PT, 3/3 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, and 25 PIR.

"We are a little unlucky. We missed some shots and they scored some important three-pointers in the clutch moments. We tried everything, but Olympiacos were better than us," commented Jure Zdovc post-game.

Olympiacos:Kostas Papanikolaou 18 (5 REB), Sasha Vezenkov 16, Hassan Martin 13 (7 REB), Tyler Dorsey 13, Kostas Sloukas 10 (6 AST).

Zalgiris: Josh Nebo 17 (10 REB), Lukas Lekavicus 14 (5 AST), Edgaras Ulanovas 13 (6 AST, 25 PIR), Tyler Cavanaugh 10 (5 AST).

Highlights

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