Olympiacos bounced back from their loss to Crvena Zvezda with an offensive masterclass. Against Dubai Basketball and Xavi Pascual, one of EuroLeague's in-form teams, the defending champions dominated from start to finish, led by as much as 32 points, and delivered a historic night for Sasha Vezenkov. With 20 points, the Bulgarian surpassed Vassilis Spanoulis to become Olympiacos' all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague competition.
Near-perfect shooting inside the arc
Dubai led only in the opening minute, with a three-pointer from Mfiondu Kabengele (2-3). Olympiacos responded with a 9-3 run, won the first quarter 25-18, and in the second quarter became a steamroller: they made 19 of their 21 two-point attempts in the first half. Dubai closed to within eight (45-37), but a 7-0 run made it 52-37, and halftime arrived with a 14-point lead (57-43).
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A third quarter of 31-13
The third quarter put the game away. A 14-2 run in three minutes took Olympiacos to 78-51, and another 10-2 run late in the quarter made it 88-56, the game's largest lead. Fournier, who finished with 28 points, 5-of-7 from three-point range and 5 assists in 27 minutes, was the game's MVP, and Vezenkov finished a perfect 6-of-6 from two-point range. Dubai only padded the scoreboard with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, with the game already decided.
Dwayne Bacon, with 20 points, was Dubai's leading scorer, as the team committed 13 turnovers compared to six for Olympiacos. Pascual received a technical foul in the first half.