Olympiacos holds off PAOK's comeback bid for third win in four days

Olympiacos of Piraeus secured a 93:80 victory over PAOK, extending a strong run of form across both the Greek championship and the ULEB EuroLeague.

The hosts dominated the first half, scoring 25 points in each of the opening two quarters to lead 50:36 at the break. PAOK, who had beaten Athens side Panathinaikos 84:82 just a day earlier, showed resilience in the second half and clawed back into contention. After trailing 39:56, the visitors closed the gap to a single point, 93:94, shortly before the final buzzer, but the more experienced Olympiacos squad kept its composure down the stretch to seal the win.

It was Olympiacos' third game in four days, following a 106:89 EuroLeague opening-round win away at Baskonia in Vitoria. Aleksandar Vezenkov led the winners with 25 points and ten rebounds in 34 minutes on court. Dominican guard Jean Montero, who joined from Spanish champions Valencia, also had a strong outing, scoring 20 points, drawing seven fouls from opponents and adding five assists.

For PAOK, Markus Foster top-scored with 18 points, while Turkish forward Cedi Osman and Canadian Kyle Alexander each added 15 points, along with seven and eight rebounds respectively, and six drawn fouls apiece.

Separately, Athens club AEK suffered defeat in Greek league play, having lost to PAOK in the previously mentioned matchup.