Miller-McIntyre and Vezenkov Lift Olympiacos Past Olimpia Milan 84-78

By Taki Panos

A week that began with painful news ended with two wins. Olympiacos beat Olimpia Milan 84-78 at the Sunel Arena on Friday, October 30, in round 9 of the EuroLeague, only hours after learning that Jean Montero will miss six months. Codi Miller-McIntyre scored 24 points in his best game in red and white, Sasha Vezenkov added 23, and the result lifts Georgios Bartzokas's side to 7-2, as Gazzetta and SDNA reported.

The Montero news reached the team about an hour before tip-off, Bartzokas said afterwards. As we covered when Olympiacos lost Jean Montero for six months, the young guard had surgery on the lateral meniscus of his left knee. Evan Fournier, Tyler Dorsey and new signing John Konchar were also out, and Nikola Milutinov was not fully ready, per the coach's comments in Gazzetta and SDNA. Two nights earlier, a similar short-handed group had beaten Besiktas 81-73 in Istanbul.

Before any of that mattered, there was a warm moment. Alec Peters, a key figure in last season's Final Four and EuroLeague title, was facing Olympiacos in an official game for the first time since moving to Milan. The club honored him for his years in Piraeus before the game, and the crowd chanted his name, per Gazzetta and Sport24. It was a classy touch from both sides, and a reminder that fans remember players who gave everything for the shirt.

Once the ball went up, Milan started brighter. Moses Wright was strong around the rim and RJ Cole hit two early threes to put the visitors ahead 10-7, as both Gazzetta and SDNA described. Vezenkov kept Olympiacos close, and Miller-McIntyre was already finding his range. Then the hosts tightened up on defense, and a 9-0 run, capped by Vezenkov in the final seconds of the quarter, made it 25-17. Marko Guduric trimmed it to 25-19 by the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the benches for a while. Guduric and Burnell, both off the bench, led a Milan push that put the Italians in front 32-31, per Gazzetta. There was a nice Greek moment here too: young forward Nikos Plotas, who made his EuroLeague debut in Istanbul on Wednesday, scored his first EuroLeague basket, per Gazzetta and the official box score. Miller-McIntyre kept carrying the offense and had 18 points by halftime, as Gazzetta and SDNA noted. Milan stayed right with them, and the teams went to the break level at 44-44.

The third quarter is where Olympiacos found their footing. Tyson Ward became a steady source of points, and a Vezenkov three made it 49-46, as both outlets reported. Milan kept answering through Cole and Wright, and Peters scored four points against his old club. Late in the period Vezenkov took over with a personal burst that pushed the lead to six, and Miller-McIntyre closed the quarter with a three for a 69-61 lead, per Gazzetta and SDNA.

A Ward three early in the fourth made it 74-63, an 11-point lead, and it looked like Olympiacos might coast home. They did not. The offense went cold and Milan ran off seven straight points to cut it to 74-70, as both Gazzetta and SDNA reported. The hosts dug in on defense. Ndiaye scored on a put-back for 79-73, Leandro Bolmaro hit a three to make it 79-76, and Olympiacos sealed it at the free throw line for the 84-78 final.

The numbers back up how good the top three were. Miller-McIntyre finished with 24 points on 4 of 9 from three, plus four assists, and both Gazzetta and SDNA called it his best performance with Olympiacos. Vezenkov had 23 points on 8 of 10 inside the arc with four rebounds, and Ward added 14, per the box score and SDNA. Captain Kostas Papanikolaou chipped in 8. Olympiacos finished with just 14 assists against 14 turnovers, an unusual line for a team that usually shares the ball well.

For Milan, Cole led the way with 17 points and Wright added 16, while Guduric scored 14 and Burnell 13, per the box score and SDNA. It was another close loss for the Italians, who fall to 1-8, as SDNA and Gazzetta reported. Coach Giuseppe Poeta kept his comments short. "The worst thing is when you lose games that are close. We need to be more cynical to win," he said, per Gazzetta and SDNA (translated from Greek).

Miller-McIntyre was happy, and modest about it. "I'm happy we won, it was a difficult week. We did good work, we can do better on defense," he said, per Gazzetta and SDNA (translated from Greek). "You never know who will have a big night. Tonight it was me and Sasha, next time someone else." Bartzokas praised his players and the fans, adding that "we are missing some quality" and that the Montero news, learned an hour before the game, was disheartening for everyone, per both outlets (translated from Greek).

My take: this is the kind of week that shows what a team is made of. Olympiacos lost their most creative young guard on the day of the game, played without three more perimeter players, and still found a way to beat a talented Milan side. Miller-McIntyre has been steady all season, but this was the night he stepped forward, and Vezenkov was Vezenkov. The fourth quarter wobble is a concern, and the defense needs work, but with this many absences I will take 7-2 every time.

Next up, Olympiacos host Red Star at the Sunel Arena on Friday, November 6, at 21:15 Greek time, per Gazzetta and SDNA. They now sit level at 7-2 with Panathinaikos, who lost 83-68 to Anadolu Efes in Istanbul on the same night. For more on Olympiacos and every Greek team this season, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Short bench, big heart.

Sources: Gazzetta, SDNA, Sport24, EuroLeague box score.

Image: Olympiacos crest, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).