Olympiacos, despite leading Panathinaikos by 19 points, nearly lost the game in the final moments but ultimately secured a 76-74 victory, putting them in prime position to finish first in the EuroLeague regular season.

With this win, Olympiacos has mathematically secured a spot in the playoffs.

The Game

Osman opened the game ideally for Panathinaikos with two three-pointers, but the “Greens” failed to score another point for several minutes against Olympiacos’ strong defense. With Williams-Goss orchestrating flawlessly and Olympiacos excelling in transition, the lead quickly grew to 12 points (18-6, 8′).

Panathinaikos continued making mistakes, with Nunn picking up three fouls and sitting on the bench, leaving Osman as the sole scorer in the first quarter, which ended with Olympiacos leading by 11 (20-9).

Papanikolaou kept scoring from the perimeter while Sloukas tried to change the game’s rhythm. However, Olympiacos’ defense was exceptional, and a four-point play by Vezenkov extended the lead (32-15, 16′). At that moment, Ataman brought Mitoglou and Hernangómez onto the court, sparking a 1-10 run led by the two forwards. Despite this, Fall and Vezenkov responded, keeping Olympiacos in firm control (38-27, 20′).

Williams-Goss came out aggressively in the second half on both ends of the floor, while Vezenkov continued scoring in various ways. Olympiacos extended their lead to 15 (50-35, 24′) and later to 19 (58-39, 26′), moving the ball with lightning speed on offense. However, Panathinaikos eventually reacted, capitalizing on some mistakes by the home team to cut the deficit (58-48, 28′).

Lee helped Olympiacos maintain control, with Vezenkov responding to two Panathinaikos transition baskets (70-56, 34′). Without Williams-Goss on the floor (he left for the locker room in the third quarter), Olympiacos committed turnovers that led to fast breaks. Brown was instrumental for Panathinaikos, reducing the deficit to 70-61 (35′), and after Mitoglou’s three-pointer, it was down to 74-67 (37′).

Nunn desperately sought a big shot, but Olympiacos’ defense blocked his path. A dunk by Fall gave Olympiacos some breathing room, but Nunn hit a three-pointer (76-72) with 50 seconds left. Mitoglou continued scoring, turning a +19 lead into a nail-biting 76-74 finish. Sloukas had a chance to win it for his team but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Quarter Scores:

20-9, 38-27, 62-50, 76-74

Standings:

1. Olympiacos (22-7)
2. Fenerbahçe (20-9)
3. Panathinaikos (18-11)
4. Bayern (17-11)
5. Monaco (17-12)
6. Crvena Zvezda (16-13)
7. Paris (16-13)
8. Armani Milan (16-13)
9. Partizan (15-13)
10. Barcelona (15-13)
11. Real Madrid (15-14)
12. Anadolu Efes (14-14)
13. Zalgiris (14-15)
14. Baskonia (12-17)
15. ASVEL Villeurbanne (11-18)
16. Maccabi Tel Aviv (9-20)
17. Virtus Bologna (7-22)
18. ALBA Berlin (5-24)