Olympiacos beats Besiktas 81-73 in Istanbul to reach 6-2 in EuroLeague

A win without three injured players and a suspended guard

Olympiacos won 81-73 at Besiktas in Istanbul in the eighth round of the EuroLeague, its sixth victory in the competition and a 6-2 record. The visitors were missing Yann Montero, Evan Fournier and Nikola Milutinov, who were injured, and Tyler Dorsey, who was suspended. Coach Giorgos Bartzokas had to rebuild his rotation around the players who were available, and several of them covered the gaps. Tyson Ward stood out on both defence and attack, Conte Miller-McIntyre organised the offence, and Sasha Vezenkov supplied points at critical moments. Donta Hall and Tairik Jones handled the work near the basket, while Nikos Plotas earned the trust of his coach and played in the closing minutes.

Early control and the first quarter

Olympiacos opened with Miller-McIntyre, Ward, Kostas Papanikolaou, Vezenkov and Hall in the starting five. It took the visitors some time to find their rhythm, but their defence helped them move ahead 15-6 by the fifth minute. Hall dominated the area near the rim with dunks, and Olympiacos kept its advantage despite a response from the hosts. The first quarter ended 25-23 in favour of the visitors, who had kept their composure under home pressure.

Second and third quarters

Bartzokas gave early minutes in the second period to Omer Netzipoglu and Plotas. Miller-McIntyre handed out five consecutive assists that took his team into the locker room ahead 42-36. Olympiacos had 15 assists in the first 20 minutes, which points to good ball movement. In the third quarter, Miller-McIntyre and Vezenkov scored key baskets, and the visitors led 61-53 in the 28th minute, a margin of eight points. The tempo stayed high, with many one-on-one battles at both ends.

Besiktas push and closing minutes

Besiktas answered in the final period and moved in front 67-66 in the 34th minute on a three-pointer from Jaylen Nowell. Olympiacos regained control through defence and calm decisions, with Plotas and Ward providing answers. Brown cut the gap to 78-73 for the hosts, but Vezenkov returned to the court and scored a decisive basket. The game ended 81-73 for Olympiacos, which left Istanbul with its record at 6-2 after eight rounds.