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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
Olympiacos did not wait to rediscover its chemistry before reminding everyone of its status. On the court in Vitoria, the European champion opened its EuroLeague season with a 106-89 victory over Kosner Baskonia on Thursday, 24 September. The score says a lot, but not everything: the Greeks first absorbed the Basque side’s euphoria before imposing an attack of almost insolent efficiency. For Baskonia, the evening served as an early reality check.
A tricky start, then the red machine
Baskonia began with outrageous outside shooting, taking an eight-point lead in a Buesa Arena that quickly heated up.
The first impression could have told the story of a different game. Baskonia began with outrageous outside shooting, taking an eight-point lead in a Buesa Arena that quickly heated up. Six three-pointers made right away, an arena smelling of a classic European trap, and Olympiacos forced to respond without hesitation.
The response came very quickly. Rather than forcing the matchup, Giorgos Bartzokas’s team sped up the ball movement, attacked the gaps and brought the game back into an area it controls: a high tempo, simple decisions and shared responsibility. The first quarter, won 36-29 by Olympiacos, set the tone. When a team absorbs such a barrage of opposing shots and still comes out of the opening period with a seven-point lead, the message is quite clear.
At halftime, the gap was already ten points, 56-46. The third quarter then shut the door: 25-14 for the visitors, 81-60 after thirty minutes, and an impression of control far stronger than a mere hot streak.
Vezenkov and Dorsey, two very clear answers
Sasha Vezenkov and Tyler Dorsey carried most of the offensive impact. Together, they accounted for 47 points, almost half of the Greek total. Their complementarity above all prevented Baskonia from targeting a single threat. When the defense stepped up on the perimeter players, Olympiacos found a cut, a drive or an inside outlet. When it backed off, the shooting punished it.
The return of Nikola Milutinov, used after a tendon issue, adds an important element to this opening game. He did not need to dominate for his presence to change the texture of the game: solid screens, size near the rim, rebounding and established chemistry with the core players. Bartzokas was also able to extend his rotation, with Yan Montero and Evan Fournier active off the bench. Montero, in particular, brought energy and creativity, helping push the score beyond 100 in the final quarter.
It was not yet a perfect performance, but it was already a demonstration of depth. Olympiacos won on the road, scoring 106 points, without giving the impression of burning through all its ammunition.
Baskonia punished despite its shooting
Baskonia nevertheless had its arguments. The 16 three-pointers made tell the story of a team capable of punishing quickly and reigniting the crowd. But the rest of the box score weighed heavily. Olympiacos dominated near the rim, earned plenty of free throws and controlled the rebounding better. When an opposing team combines interior efficiency with 26 successful free throws out of 28, it becomes difficult to survive on long-range shooting alone.
The quarter-by-quarter score sums up this imbalance: Baskonia won the final period, 29-25, but the decision had already been made. The late push avoided a heavier defeat, not the verdict. The Vitoria team showed what it could do to ignite stretches of play, but also what it still lacks to last forty minutes against a team built to go deep.
An opening that already carries weight
The first day does not hand out trophies or definitive failing grades. It does, however, establish a foundation. Olympiacos leaves Vitoria with a road win, an attack already running smoothly and several rotation players involved. In a EuroLeague where away trips quickly pile up, starting this way is worth more than a simple 1-0 record.
For Baskonia, the schedule will not wait for everything to settle in quietly. The project is not catastrophic, but its shortcomings are visible: defend longer without giving up the middle, turn outside shooting into sustained pressure and avoid the lapses that turn a good start into an impossible chase. The season has barely begun, but Olympiacos has already reminded everyone of an old European rule: against the major regulars, the slightest lapse comes at a high price, sometimes even with sixteen three-pointers in the bag.
