Βy Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos wanted to seal the home-court advantage and, in the process, sent a statement to the rest of the league.
The Greeks dominated Real Madrid on the way to a 102-88 win, which pushed them to a 24-12, keeping them all alone at the top of the standings.
On the contrary, the Spanish powerhouse dropped to 22-14 and has to settle for the fourth spot at the moment.
Tyler Dorsey, with a career high of 37 points, and Sasha Vezenkov, with 26, led an admirable team effort. Shaq McKissic, with 10 points, was the only other scorer in double digits for the winning side.
For Madrid, the former Sacramento teammate of Vezenkov, Trey Lyles, was the top scorer with 22 points.
It was a game of runs, with Olympiacos leading by 12 at the end of the first period (31-19), Madrid getting a 40-35 lead, and the home team closing the first half up by seven (49-42) behind 17 points by Dorsey.
Olympiacos continued the push for a 16-point advantage (69-49) with Vezenkov scoring already 22 points, and entered the last period up by 15 (72-57).
The Reds led by 23 points (93-70), and Madrid couldn’t keep up.
Evan Fournier, playing five minutes despite a stomach ache, couldn’t score.