Euroleague’s Athens Final Four will most likely have two Greek teams, as Olympiakos and Panathinaikos are just one win away from clinching their spots in the tournament’s showpiece, after their new triumphs in Games 2 of their series on Thursday.
The Reds were a class above Monaco and won comfortably 94-64 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium to lead the best-of-five series 2-0.
The balanced first quarter (28-23) was followed by a sweeping second period for the hosts, who at times were like men playing against boys. The partial 31-8 score practically settled the game from half-time (59-31), reducing the second half to a mere formality in what was most probably the final home game for Olympiakos in Europe this season.
Sasha Vezenkov (21 points) and Evan Fournier (16) were the Reds’ top scorers on the night, in the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Monaco’s Mike James was ejected with two technical fouls in the first half and he may miss the next game due to his attack on the match officials.
The series continues at Monaco on Tuesday, May 5, and Olympiakos will be forgiven for expecting a 3-0 sweep.
Panathinaikos worked very hard at Valencia and won Game 2 in overtime with a 107-105 score and is also leading 2-0.
The Greens lacked the edge in defense that gave them victory in Game 1, and tried to match their host in pace and shooting rates. They did it for the entire game, advancing 49-48 at half-time and threatening Valencia with a second break in 48 hours leading by nine (80-71) early in the final quarter with 15 unanswered points.
Valencia, that was the regular season’s runner-up behind Olympiakos, worked its way back and sent the game to overtime (95-95).
However, the Greens’ most recent signing, Nigel Hayes-Davis, was impossible to contain in overtime and scored the buzzer-beating winning basket to take his tally for the night to 27 points. He was seconded by Kendrick Nunn with 19.
The best-of-five series is now coming to Athens, with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday, May 6.