Bartzokas reveals why Papanikolaou shouldn't have played in Game 4 / News - Basketnews.com

Bartzokas on Papanikolaou: "The exams and the blood test he made were a little bit bad. He had to stay out for this game from the virus that he had."

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages

Olympiacos Piraeus dominated FC Barcelona 92-58 in Game 4 on Thursday, forcing Game 5. One of the driving forces behind this commanding victory was captain Kostas Papanikolaou.

Player of the Game EFF 28 Shaquielle McKissic Points 21 Accuracy 8-11 Rebounds 6 Assists 2

Despite battling the virus, Papanikolaou showcased resilience, contributing 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 13 PIR in just 19.5 minutes of play.

Coach Georgios Bartzokas revealed that Papanikolaou shouldn't have been on the court, having missed the first three games of the series due to illness.

"I would like to mention Papanikolaou. The exams and the blood test he made were a little bit bad. He had to stay out for this game from the virus that he had," Bartzokas shared during the post-game conference. "Somehow, he sacrificed his health. He wasn't in a condition to play this kind of game with that energy and that kind of physicality. As everybody saw, he helped us a lot, and everybody contributed to this win."

Game 5 will be played in Barcelona on Wednesday (May 8).

In the 2023-24 EuroLeague regular season, Papanikolaouaveraged 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

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