Isaiah Canaan had a night to remenber as he led Olympiacos to an 84-81 OT victory over Fenerbahce in Peace and Friendship stadium for EuroLeague Round 34. The American guard went off for 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line as Olympiacos struggled to score the ball as a team.
The “Reds” kept Canaan on the bench during the final period of the regulation but the former Houston Rockets guard returned in the lineup for the overtime to save Olympiacos from defeat as he scored seven of Olympiacos’ nine final points. The home side found themselves down by 73-78 in the final two minutes of the extra period.
Canaan hit a tough shot with clock running down to cut the deficit down to 75-78. More importantly, Canaan attacked the paint in the next two Olympiacos’ possessions and scored four consecutive points to put the home side up 80-78.
Fenerbahce could not recover as Canaan made another big play by forcing a turnover and putting the finishing touch from the free throw line.
“I am a fighter, I do everything to help the team, my teammates, and our coach know that. I thank God for giving me strength and energy for these games,” Canaan said in the flash interview.
Olympiacos finished the EuroLeague regular season with a win completing the regular season with a 22-12 record. The “Reds” secured their place in the EuroLeague postseason for the third consecutive year and will meet FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague playoffs. Fenerbahce is set to face AS Monaco after ending up in the 6th seed.
Nikola Milutinov returns after 3 months, Shaquille McKissic the other Olympiacos player to shine
Olympiacos saw Nikola Milutinov returning on court after three months. The Serbian big finished with five points and three rebounds in 4:27 minutes of play. Shaquille McKissic was the only Olympiacos players besides Canaan to score more than 10 points finishing Friday’s contest with 12.
“We finished with 22 wins, which I think is a fantastic number. Everyone knows how many problems we faced and how we overcame those difficult situations. I want to remind you that last year we had 24 wins and finished first,” head coach Giorgos Bartzokas noted.
“Now we look forward to the playoffs with Barcelona, without the home advantage. Basketball is the same everywhere and we have to stick together, be in the best possible physical condition to fight for the Final Four.”
For Fenerbahce, Nigel Hayes-Davis led his team with 21 points, while Scottie Wilbekin scored 12 but only shot 3-of-9 from the three-point line. Wilbekin had a slow start to the first half and his shot did not drop in a crucial game for the Turkish club. Tyler Dorsey had 10 points in 18 minutes against his former team.
