By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Building on the first lead with 4:59 left in the fourth quarter, Olympiacos survived a defensive battle in Palau Blaugrana.
A win, 63-59, versus FC Barcelona, secured a berth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for a third year in a row on Wednesday.
Among numerous players struggling to put up points, Shaquielle McKissic set aside a poor showing, fueling the late rally with nine of his 12 points over the last ten minutes of Game 5. Lasting 24 minutes, the Arizona State product put in two rebounds and one steal, besides making 4/9 from the field, including two triples.
In a game-high performance index rating of 26, Nikola Milutinov posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double to go with two assists, one block, and one steal over 25 minutes.
Dealing with noisy Palau Blaugrana, captain Kostas Papanikolaou added 11 points against his former team. After recovering from illness, the 33-year-old forward returned to action in Game 4. Contributing to two straight wins against his former team, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest.
Entering the season-ending tournament of Europe’s premier club continental competition, the team coached by Giorgos Bartzokas will be looking to avenge the loss in the championship game of the 2022-23 season by facing Real Madrid in Berlin’s Uber Arena on May 24.
With 15 points to his name, Nicolas Laprovittola was the only double-digit scorer as the European powerhouses entered the fourth quarter with a 40-40 tie. A 12-9 edge for the hosts at the end of the first period emanated from a nervous start in the deciding contest of a best-of-five series. Including eight points in the first quarter, the Argentine guard was up to 13 points at the break with his side packing a 27-25 advantage.
Ending up with a game-high 17 points, Laprovittola was not enough for Barca to move from the Quarterfinals to the Final Four for a fourth consecutive year. Alex Abrines followed with 13 points. Tomas Satoransky did not attempt a field goal in a two-point outing but logged eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
A clean bill of health for both teams pushed Oriol Pauli and Joel Parra to the sidelines for the losing side. Also, Dario Brizuela and James Nnaji did not leave the bench for the team coached by Roger Grimau. On the opposite end, Ignas Brazdeikis and Luke Sikma plus Michalis Lountzis sat out, and Naz Mitrou-Long did not play.
FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta and Olympiacos co-owners Giorgos Angelopoulos and Panagiotis Angelopoulos were in attendance.
Domestic affairs
Wrapping up the Regular Season in Spain’s Liga Endesa and heading to the third seed in the Playoffs bracket, the Catalonia giant plays at home opposite Unicaja on Friday and visits Surne Bilbao on Sunday. Defending the ACB championship will extend into a best-of-three series in the Quarterfinals.
Defending Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League championship, the Reds are confirmed as the second seed on the domestic league’s postseason bracket. Before facing seventh-seeded AEK Betsson in a best-of-three series, they visit Kolossos H Hotels in Rhodes on Sunday to complete the Top 6 of the Regular Season.