Olimpia has the last chance to win but Mannion and Bolmaro throw it away after a match played on equal terms: defeat by one point like in the last round against Bayern
Milan opens the second round of the Euroleague by losing by the buzzer, as with Bayern Munich. Olympiacos passes at the Forum, 84-83: the poor management of the last possession by Messina’s men was decisive. Fournier decides the match, shifting the balance with 18 points. Vezenkov was also excellent with him, 21 points. The Bolmaro-Mirotic-Shields trio is not enough in Milan, as they combine for 45 points (14 for the Argentine). For Messina’s men it is the third defeat in a row in the cup.
RHYTHM AND VEZENKOV
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Very balanced match right from the start. Milan stings Olympiacos in transition, attacking in the first seconds of the action and reading the Greeks’ defensive changes excellently and beating them. Good impact from Bolmaro, who often reaches the rim with penetrations. Bartzokas’ team, although without Milutinov due to injury, built its fortunes using the cuts of the big men, Peters and Vezenkov, with the former Sacramento player closing the first quarter with 9 points scored (19 equal in the 10th minute). Olimpia started the second period better, posting a 7-0 run. The guests rely on the spectacular night of their Bulgarian star (16 points in the first half) and remain in the lead. The match gradually becomes dirtier (10 lost in the 20th minute for both teams), EA7 finds few resources in transition, and above all has to deal with the suffocating Olympiacos defence. The Greeks benefit from the great consistency of Williams-Goss and at the end of the first half they place a 7-0 break, thanks to the counterattacks in the open field, completed with excellent spacing. Bartzokas’ men therefore overturn the inertia of the match, and return to the locker room ahead by one point, 41-40. The hosts are favored from beyond the arc, with their 5/9 (3/10 for the guests) but they don’t have an impact on offensive rebounds (2) and suffer inside the area (13/16 from 2 for Olympiacos at 20′).
FOURNIER AND REGRETS
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The match remains balanced even after returning from the break. The guests continue to gain many advantages with movements without the ball, continuing to hurt with cuts on Milan’s back line. The worst aspect for Messina is the definitive entry into the game of Evan Fournier, who begins to score almost everything he gets his hands on. The former New York Knicks isn’t the only one to impact the match. Shields comes on for EA7 and keeps the home team alive (60-64 in the 30th minute). In the last period, Milan builds good shots and benefits from Ricci’s impact on both sides of the pitch and, more generally, from the initiatives of his wingers. Olympiacos is in the very talented hands of its individuals, Fournier and Peters above all. The match was decided in the last minute, after a triple from a super Bolmaro reduced the gap between the teams to just one possession (84-81 for the Greeks). Olimpia, after a tap-in by Mirotic, goes down by just one point with 38” from the end (84-83). After an error by Vildoza from 6 and 75, Milan has the last possession, but Mannion and the aforementioned Argentine handle it badly and lose the ball and the game.
Milan: Mirotic 16, Shields 15 Bolmaro 14
Olympiacos: Vezenkov 21, Fournier 18, Peters 14
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