CSKA Moscow dominated Olympiacos 96-64

CSKA Moscow thoroughly dominated Olympiacos Piraeus 96-64 on Wednesday in the Russian capital to become the first team to reach the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs this season and clinching first place in Group E in the process. The victory marked CSKA’s 10th straight at home as it bounced back from its first loss of the season in convincing style. All 12 players score for CSKA, which simply dominated from the tipoff. Andrey Vorontsevich scored 5 during a 10-0 start and he had three three-pointers as the hosts made their first 10 shots from downtown in building a 47-20 lead midway through the second quarter. The scoreboard showed 54-26 at halftime and the lead peaked at 86-52 midway through the fourth quarter as CSKA cruised to victory. Vorontsevich paced six CSKA scorers in double figures with 15 points, Milos Teodosic scored 14, Darjus Lavrinovic had 12 plus 4 steals, Andrei Kirilenko posted 11 points and 7 rebounds, Alexey Shved tallied 10 points and 5 assists and Anton Ponkrashov scored 10 in seven minutes. Vassilis Spanoulis scored 12 for Olympiacos, which dropped to 2-3, but still controls its destiny and can advance to the playoffs with a win over GS Medical Park at home next week.

Vorontsevich opened the scoring with a triple from the top of the key in the first minute. The CSKA forward provided a highlight as he soared to grab a rebound and stuff it home on the team’s second possession and then passed to Teodosic for a three-pointer on the third. After an Olympiacos timeout, Shved made a lovely feed inside to Kirilenko to make it 10-0. Joey Dorsey finally ended the Reds’ drought after four scoreless minutes. He doubled his output with an offensive rebound and slam, though Vorontsevich countered from downtown. After Spanoulis made the game’s first free throws, Teodosic tripled to restore a double-digit edge, 16-6. The hosts continued to pour it on as Nenad Krstic came in off the bench and scored, Vorontsevich reached 10 points with a tough layup and Kirilenko hit from three-point land to make it 23-10. Spanoulis countered with a long two and Pero Antic added free throws. Shved added CSKA’s sixth three of the opening quarter to make it 30-16 after 10 minutes.

The Shved-to-Kirilenko connection allowed CSKA to double up Olympiacos before a Ksistof Lavrinovic basket-plus-foul extended the difference to 19. Kyle Hines hit back with a jumper, but a Shved three lifted the gap to 20 points. After Hines scored again, Ramunas Siskauskas joined the three-point party and then Vonrontsevich made another. When Siskauskas made his second three-pointer, it put CSKA at 10 for 10 from behind the arc for the night and lifted CSKA to 47-20. Kostas Sloukas got on the board for the Reds before Jamont Gordon missed CSKA’s first three of the game. Teodosic thrilled the crowd with a long pass to Sasha Kaun for a big dunk. The point guard netted his third three to make it 52-23. Dorsey got an offensive rebound, drew a foul and split free throws and Spanoulis added 2 more from the line before Shved whipped a perfect pass to Krstic in the closing seconds to make it 54-26 at halftime.

Olympiacos, which shot 0 for 7 from downtown in the first half, opened the second with a triple from Evangelos Mantzaris. A Kirilenko tip-in and a Siskauskas jumper kept the hosts rolling. Then Teodosic carved up the Reds’ defense for a layup that took the CSKA lead into the 30s. Sloukas converted a basket-plus-foul for the visitors and Michalis Pelekanos soon added a jumper. Pelekanos got three the hard way to trim the gap to 64-37. Sloukas darted through the now slumbering CSKA defense for a quick layup. Teodosic ended the CSKA mini-slump with a three-pointer and a Shved dunk on the break safely restored the lead to 30. Lavrinovic lifted the lead to 33 with his first three, though Martynas Gecevicius matched him. Viktor Khryapa made his return to action to a warm response from the CSKA fans just before the end of the third quarter, which finished at 72-44.

Pelekanos added to his tally to start the fourth quarter. Eugeny Voronov got on the scoreboard for the hosts. Spanoulis scored on consecutive possessions for the Reds, but soon Gordon and Ponkrashov scored their first baskets for the home team. Ponkrashov’s second basket lifted the margin to 86-52. When Kryapa scored, it means that all 12 CSKA players had made a basket in the blowout and left the final minutes for the fans to celebrate a ticket to the playoffs long before the final buzzer.