Ennis inspires Zvezda to comeback win over Olympiacos

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade shook off a three-game losing streak and the ejection of their head coach to take a life-extending 89-78 over visiting Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday. The winners raised their record to 8-12 and a tie for 10th place, while Olympiacos dropped to 13-7 and fifth place with a fourth straight road defeat. An unexpected hero, backup point guard Dylan Ennis, came off the bench for 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists as Zvezda rallied from 7 down, 61-68, early in the final quarter. Nemanja Dangubic and Taylor Rochestie added 11 points each for Zvezda, while Milko Bjelica, Mathias Lessort and Dejan Davidovac scored 9 apiece. Vassilis Spanoulis had 16 points and became the second EuroLeague player, after Juan Carlos Navarro, to reach 3,500 for his career. Brian Roberts added 14, Kostas Papanikolaou 12 and Kyle Wiltjer 10 for Olympiacos, but the Reds suffered from 14 turnovers and just 38.7% two-point shooting accuracy.

Rochestie's runner and Spanoulis's triple started the scoring. Nikola Milutinov and Bjelica joined in before Georgios Printezis scored a second-chance basket and a three-pointer to put the visitors up 6-10. Dangubic rang up a triple for Zvezda, then did himself one better with a four-point play for a 13-10 lead change. Lessort joined the scoring before Roberts and Rochestie exchanged triples. Spanoulis fed Roberts for another, however, to make it 18-16. Ognjen Dobric wrested away a rebound and stepped out for a lead-changing three at 21-18. Spanoulis fed Papanikolaou for a layup but Dobric blocked a fastbreak before Ennis drove for the quarter's last basket to put Zvezda ahead 24-20. Davidovac made his first shot and newly arrived Alen Omic dropped a hook to boost the lead before Ennis rifled in a shot from deep for the game's first double-digit lead, 31-21. Wiltjer scored for Olympiacos, but Ennis raced for one layup and scored another over Milutinov to make it 36-24. Nikola Jankovic made a sweet shot, then free throws from Vangelis Mantzaris and Janis Strelnieks preceded a triple by Spanoulis at 38-31. Davidovac responded with a three-point play and Lessort put back a ball that ricocheted off the backboard as Zvezda cruised into halftime leading 43-34.

Spanoulis opened the third quarter from long range and Davidovac answered inside. Roberts being awarded free throws from a foul while driving led to Zvezda coach Dusan Alimpijevic getting 2 technical fouls and being ejected. Robers made all 4 free throws, cutting the difference, then Papanikolaou drilled from deep at 47-44. Roberts drove for another basket before Rochestie ended a 1-10 Olympiacos run with 3 free throws. Ennis buried a long triple and Jankovic a shorter jumper as soon as they stepped on court, but Wiltjer slammed for the visitors at 55-53. Dobric returned with an inside basket that Strelnieks answered with a second-chance triple. Papanikolaou fed Milutinov for a dunk on the break before Wiltjer swished a long three to suddenly put the visitors up 57-63 after three quarters. A long two-pointer by Roberts was matched by free throws from Lessort. Ennis raced fullcourt for a layup that Wiltjer bettered from deep again at 61-68. Bjelica got 4 points back at the foul line, then Lessort's block sent Jankovic for a fastbreak layup. Lessort had a go-ahead put-back and Davidovac capped a 14-3 run to make it 71-68. Spanoulis stepped up with a three-point play to tie, but Ennis was ready with third triple. Then he found Omic for an easy layup at 76-71. Omic did it again before Spanoulis and Dangubic traded layups to make it 80-75. Milutinov missed 2 free throws while Bjelica made his with 1:30 to play. Ennis took a huge defensive rebound and stepped back for a triple at 85-75 to end the suspense and Zvezda's three-game losing streak.