Two frontrunners for the EuroLeague championship, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, collided at Ukler Spors Hall in Istanbul in the season opener, with the Turkish powerhouse claiming the 82-71 home win to kick off its campaign the best way possible.
It was a hard-fought battle until midway through the fourth quarter (65-65), but the hosts rallied to a 17-6 run to close the game and seal the deal.
As both teams shift their attention to the second round of the competition and their games against Anadolu Efes (road, Thursday) and Zalgiris Kaunas (home, Friday), we take a look at three takeaways from Friday’s big-time game.
#3. Fenerbahce’s offensive rebounds and second-chance points
With Moustapha Fall and Nikola Milutinov still out due to injuries, Olympiacos struggled in its defense above the rim and failed to secure the defensive rebound in several occassions.
This issue hurt the Reds’ chances to fight through the end to claim the victory, as Fenerbahce grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, with six of them coming in crunch time. Off of these 14 rebounds, the Turks scored 18 second-chance points, in comparison with the Reds’ 10 points off of six offensive rebounds.
#2. Nigel Hayes-Davis
The American versatile forward was one of the main reasons for Fenerbahce’s victory in the EuroLeague season opener. His two-way play was crucial for the hosts and allowed them to stay competitive in the game and clinch the win.
Nigel Hayes-Davis finished the game with 15 points, on 5/9 shooting, and a PIR of 15, while his four-point play late in the game sealed the deal for the Turkish giants.
At the same time, he did a great job defensively, keeping Olympiacos’ superstar forward Sasha Vezenkov to just 11 points, on six attempts from the field (3/4 in two-pointers, 1/2 from beyond therac), with the former EuroLeague MVP never becoming a factor in the game.
With Vezenkov struggling to build some momentum in the game, Olympiacos’ system malfunctioned on several occassions, with the Reds’ scoring just 71 points, despite their offensive talent.
#1. Olympiacos’ chemistry issues
It is a no brainer that Olympiacos, like the rest of the EuroLeague teams, will need time to improve their chemistry issues and distribute the roles. Still, like we saw in the Greek Super Cup Final against Panathinaikos, both head coach Gorgos Bartzokas and his players are trying to get on the same page and improve their consistency on both ends.
However, it became obvious that the Reds struggled on both ends, as defensively they allowed a lot of open shots and saw their opponents grab 14 offensive rebounds, while offensively their team basketball didn’t work well, and had to execute their plays through one-on-one situations.
Coach Bartzokas has referred to these issues, but he is hopeful that the return of Moustapha Fall and Nikola Milutinov will elevate Olympiacos’ defense, while the sooner Evan Fournier will adjust to the Reds’ system and the differences between the EuroLeague and the NBA, the better it will be for the Greek giants.
So far, though, Fournier is doing his best on both ends, even though he often hesitates to take open shots.