Olympiakos wins at Zalgiris to boost its quarterfinal hopes
A late surge from Olympiakos secured it a crucial 61-52 away win against Lithuanian basketball club Zalgiris that boosted the Piraeus team’s hopes of a place in the Euroleague quarterfinals. The game was tight throughout, but the visiting Greek team managed to break away late in the game with a 12-0 run that earned it its nine-point victory. Olympiakos is placed second in Group F with a 3-2 record. Zalgiris, now on 1-4, was eliminated. Later last night, Maccabi, on 2-2, was hosted by group leader Real Madrid, on 3-1. The top two advance to the quarterfinals. On Wednesday night, Aris all but bid farewell to the competition after losing 90-74 to Tau Ceramica in Spain. The Thessaloniki team is last in Group E with one win from five games. Tau has already sealed the group’s top spot with five wins from as many games. Second place is most likely to be contested between Fenerbahce and Lietuvos Rytas, both on 2-3 records. To reach the quarterfinals, Aris will need to beat Lietuvos Rytas by at least 39 points in Thessaloniki next Wednesday and hope that Tau beats Fenerbahce in the group’s other game.
