Greece's Panathinaikos stun Olympiacos in basketball derby

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Panathinaikos OPAP Athens beat archrivals Olympiacos 81-76 in a Greek basketball derby Monday.

The game on Olympiacos' home court was tight in the first and second quarters as Panathinaikos led 36-33 before the break.

Olympiacos fought hard in the third quarter as the Reds led at the end of the period 59-48.

The Reds were dominant, scoring 26 points in the third.

But the visitors bounced back to secure the road win, netting 33 points in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Olympiacos racked up 17 points in the final stanza in the home loss.

With 2:39 left, the game has tied at 70-70.

Panathinaikos' small forward Leonidas Kaselakis scored a crucial three-pointer to make it 73-70 for the Greens, which was a turning point.

Nemanja Nedovic, who was the Panathinaikos' key player with 24 points, scored a deep three-pointer to give the team a 76-72 lead with 1:42 left.

Panathinaikos then controlled the rest of the game to return home with a derby win at Peace and Friendship Stadium at Piraeus.

Sasha Vezenkov was the high scorer for Olympiacos, racking up 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double.

So Olympiacos suffered their first defeat in the 2021-22 Greek league. The Reds previously won six games and are third in the league table.

Victors Panathinaikos have a 6-1 record and are in the second position in the standings.