SPORTS

Spanoulis played Zeus for Olympiakos against Neptunas

Captain Vassilis Spanoulis helped Olympiakos narrowly avoid an upset on Friday as it defeated Euroleague debutant Neptunas Klaipeda 85-81 in overtime in Lithuania to preserve its perfect start to the competition.

Much as an away win is significant for any team, Olympiakos will be concerned that once again it showed serious problems in defense and lack of concentration at crucial moments of the game that could have easily cost it victory.

However the inexperience of the Lithuanian champions, who had 11 local players in their 12-player roster, made the difference as they simply could not hold on to their advantage in the last few minutes.

The Reds found themselves trailing by five points about two minutes from the end of regulation time (72-67), but managed to cover their deficit and end the 40 minutes at 76-76.

In overtime the Greeks were always on top and won the game in the end by four, to calm their nerves and stay alone on top of their group with three wins in as many games.

Spanoulis was impressive for Olympiakos, as he notched up 34 points in 41 minutes, including six out of 11 three-pointers.

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