By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos is not afraid of the first-place “curse”.
The Piraeus side continued its winning run in the EuroLeague by defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 89–85 in Sofia, completing a season sweep over the Israeli team, securing home-court advantage in the playoffs, and further strengthening its hold on the top spot in the standings with a 25–12 record.
Tyler Dorsey once again led Olympiacos offensively with 23 points, continuing his strong stretch of form, while Sasha Vezenkov added 10 of his 10 points in the third quarter after a quiet first half. Alec Peters (11) and Cory Joseph (10) also reached double figures.
A major boost for the Piraeus side was the return of Moustapha Fall after 307 days, as the French center contributed with three assists and a block in limited minutes.
On the other side, Antonio Blakeney paced Hapoel Tel Aviv with 16 points, while Elijah Bryant followed with 15.
Hapoel opened the game in dominant fashion with a 14–2 run, but Olympiacos quickly responded with a 16–2 stretch to take control. The rest of the first half turned into a high-scoring battle, with both teams trading blows and heading into the break with Hapoel narrowly ahead, 51–48.
In the second half, Vezenkov came alive to push Olympiacos in front, while Dorsey combined scoring with playmaking to keep the hosts at bay. Hapoel fought back and kept the game close down the stretch, but key offensive rebounds and clutch free throws in the final minutes allowed Olympiacos to secure the win.