One of world basketball's greatest rivalries lived up to the hype on Friday with a spectacular thriller that visiting Olympiacos Piraeus took by 77-79 from archrivals Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens with a classic connection in the final seconds. Vassilis Spanoulis controlled the final possession for Olympiacos, driving toward the lane then feeding his long-time partner Georgios Printezis for a layup and free throw that decided the outcome. The result broke a tie in the standings between them, raising Olympiacos to a 5-3 record and dropping Panathinaikos to 4-4. Spanoulis finished with 22 points and 8 assists for the winners, while Printezis had 16 and Daniel Hackett 11. Nick Calathes led the Greens with 16 points and 9 assists, while Chris Singleton and K.C. Rivers scored 14 each, and Antonis Fotsis 13. Olympiacos controlled the game until Panathinaikos rallied to lead 76-72 on the 300th career triple by Fotsis with 2:16 to play. Free throws by Spanoulis and a steal plus basket by Printezis tied the score before the final play between them settled it in favor of the visitors. Panathinaikos played without James Gist, who was injured in the previous game, as well as Mike James, out since preseason.
Score ib each period: 23-23, 39-47, 65-63, 77-79
PHOTOS
