Olympiacos edges Hapoel as Vezenkov delivers clutch performance
Olympiacos, led by Bulgarian forward Aleksandar Vezenkov, defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 62–58 (18–21, 15–18, 11–4, 18–15) in the eighth round of the EuroLeague.
The Piraeus team secured its fifth win of the season, ending Hapoel’s four-game winning streak. The Israeli team, still hosting its home games in Sofia, now stands with six victories and two losses, CE Report quotes BTA.
Vezenkov was once again the top scorer for Olympiacos with 14 points, adding four rebounds and one assist. Though he spent much of the game on the bench, he returned in the final three minutes to make crucial plays — scoring a three-point play and converting five out of five free throws in the closing seconds.
Tyler Dorsey contributed 11 points for Olympiacos, while Nikola Milutinov added 10. For Hapoel, Antonio Blakeney led the scoring, with Vasilije Micic adding 10 points, including two late three-pointers. With this result, Olympiacos climbed to fourth place (5–3 record), while Hapoel remains third (6–2).
Earlier in the day, Monaco defeated Panathinaikos 92–84 (27–20, 23–21, 18–17, 24–26). Despite Kendrick Nunn’s 26 points for the Greek side, Monaco’s balanced offense prevailed, with five players scoring in double figures — Elie Okobo (15), Mike James (13), Matthew Strazel (12), Jerome Blossomgame (11), and Nemanja Nedovic (11). Monaco now sits fifth, while Panathinaikos is seventh.
In another matchup, Baskonia topped Anadolu Efes 86–75 (22–11, 21–28, 22–19, 21–17). Shane Larkin led all scorers with 23 points for Efes, while Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 20 and Matteo Spagnolo added 19 for the Spanish side. The win lifted Baskonia from the bottom of the standings, while Efes remains among the bottom five teams with a 3–5 record.
Meanwhile, Barcelona edged Partizan 78–76 (18–17, 15–24, 25–15, 20–20) in Belgrade after a tense finish. The Serbian side led 74–71 with a minute left, but Barcelona remained composed to close out the victory. Tornike Shengelia led the Spanish team with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Duane Washington scored 21 for Partizan. Barcelona moved up to eighth place, while Partizan sits 17th.
