Olimpia dropped an 84-78 decision to Olympiacos in Athens, leaving the club with losses in consecutive games in Athens despite strong stretches of play against the reigning champions.
Early Duel Between Guards Sets Pace in Athens
The opening quarter featured an intense back-and-forth between opposing playmakers, with Miller-McIntyre running the attack while RJ Cole paced the visitors. Olimpia successfully fed Moses Wright in the low post, where he converted four baskets and chased down his own misses on the offensive glass. Cole caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting three three-pointers—including a contested shot directly over Vezenkov—to account for 17 of Milano’s first 18 points. Olympiacos closed the frame ahead after Guduric hit a buzzer-beating floater on the quarter’s final possession.
Milano Responds in Second Quarter to Equalize
The squad seized momentum in the second period through initiatives from Guduric, Thompson, Burnell, and Mathews, pushing ahead on three separate occasions. When Olympiacos countered by deploying Milutinov alongside two other frontcourt players and putting Papanikolau at 3, the coaching staff adjusted by pairing Diop with his center rotation to contain the Serbian big man. Burnell knocked down his second triple, Cole added two free throws, and Hall scored on a midrange jumper to draw Milano level at 44-44 at halftime, overcoming 18 first-half points from Miller-McIntyre.
Defensive Pressure Keeps Visitors Close in Third
Olympiacos tried to pull away after the break, but Cole answered with a three-point play and a triple, complemented by two scores from Peters. Bolmaro spent significant energy defending Miller-McIntyre, holding the playmaker in check until Bolmaro picked up his third personal foul and had to sit. Vezenkov then assumed the scoring load for the hosts. Burnell kept Milano within striking distance, though a final-second three-pointer from Miller-McIntyre pushed the deficit to 69-61 heading into the fourth.
Late Fourth-Quarter Surge Falls Short
Another triple by Burnell narrowed the gap to two points with Milano holding possession. Forced to go small after Wright fouled out—using Burnell and Peters in the frontcourt and deploying Bolmaro at 4 to shadow Vezenkov—Milano missed two looks from beyond the arc that would have cut the margin to one, ultimately falling 84-78.
Postup Mismatch Decides the Turning Point
Trailing by just two points down the stretch, Milano opted for a smaller lineup without a traditional center and fed Peters in the post against Corey Joseph, creating a mismatch. However, defender Mbaye Mdiaye rotated over to block Peters’ fade-away attempt, snuffing out the visitors’ best chance to take control of the contest.
Shooting Efficiency Undone by Turnovers
Milano shot 68.0% on two-point attempts, connected on 11 three-pointers, and handed out 18 assists over the 40 minutes. The decisive statistical difference came in ball security, as the side committed 18 turnovers—the only aspect in which Olympiacos did better.
Next Fixtures on the Domestic and European Calendars
Olimpia returns to action Monday with a fixture in Desio against Cantù. Following that matchup, the squad plays Thursday at 20:30 in home against Valencia Basket.
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