Huge Olympiacos third quarter keeps Zalgiris winless / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Olympiacos Piraeus (3-1) welcomed Zalgiris Kaunas (0-4), obliterating them in the third quarter and leaving the Lithuanian champions winless in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, winning 83-68 (12-23, 24-16, 27-10, 20-19).

Player of the Game EFF 19 Konstantinos Sloukas Points 17 Accuracy 7-10 Rebounds 5 Assists 2

Zalgiris started the game extremely well and led by 11 after the first quarter (23-12). However, the hosts started to catch up in the second, going into halftime with a three-point deficit (36-39).

The breaking point, however, was the third period, where Olympiacos dominated Zalgiris. They only allowed the Lithuanian squad to score 10 points, adding 27 of their own to gain a commanding lead before the final period (63-49).

Olympiacos never let the visitors think about coming back in the fourth, only increasing their advantage. The reds gained their largest lead after Kostas Sloukas’ 3-pointer (80-60), winning by 15.

“Our third quarter was outstanding. We improved our defense in the second quarter and went into the locker room only down three points,” Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas said. “It’s a win that I really appreciate. I have to give credit to the players. Two days ago, we played a game in overtime against Barcelona with a lot of intensity.”

Kostas Sloukas led Olympiacos with 17 points (4/5 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 0/1 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 19 PIR.

“Our reaction was really good because Zalgiris came here and played aggressively,” Sloukas explained post-game. “We came back after a really bad start for us - they hit big shots. We found our rhythm and played our game. I have the feeling that with our fans, we can beat anybody. This is so important.”

Emmanuel Mudiay performed well for Zalgiris, finishing with 19 points (4/7 2PT, 2/7 3PT, 5/7 FT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 16 PIR.

“On offense in the second half, we lost control completely, and we stopped playing defense. We lost our aggressiveness. They hit some shots, and we just collapsed,” said Zalgiris coach Jure Zdovc.

Zalgiris played without Paulius Jankunas and Janis Strelnieks, who suffered calf injuries in the team’s last game against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade.

Olympiacos: Kostas Sloukas 17 (5 REB), Giannoulis Larentzakis 13, Sasha Vezenkov 12 (6 REB), Kostas Papanikolaou 10.

Zalgiris: Emmanuel Mudiay 19, Arturas Milaknis 14, Josh Nebo 12, Marek Blazevic 9.

Highlights

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