Reds’ high pace, Greens’ disgrace
Olympiakos beat Monaco to go joint second on the Euroleague table, while Panathinaikos accelerated its decline with a disgraceful 33-point loss at Red Star Belgrade.
The Piraeus team registered its sixth win in eight games, downing Monaco 86-65 at home on Friday.
Monaco had a remarkable first period, scoring 27 points to lead by 10, and held on for a 38-35 lead by half-time.
However the Reds were a class above their visitor in the second half, as the partial 51-27 score shows. Containing Monaco star Mike James to just seven points, the Piraeus team strolled to victory in the end, led by Tyler Dorsey and Livio Jean-Charles with 18 points apiece.
Panathinaikos, on the other hand, is on a 2-6 record after suffering its worst Euroleague result in over two decades. Red Star triumphed 81-48 in Belgrade against the ghost of a team that in the past won six European crowns.
It was only late in the second period that the Greens got to challenge their host, as in the rest of the game they had a no-show, costing them a defeat of historic proportions.
With 20 turnovers for eight assists and a 13% shooting rate in triples, the Greek champion could not hope for a better fate on Thursday night. Daryl Macon stood out as he made 15 points for Panathinaikos.
