Olympiacos top Real Madrid 82-66

Olympiacos BC became the first team to register a win in the 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague by downing Real Madrid 82-66 in the competition's Opening Game at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Pireaus, Greece in Group B on Monday. Olympiacos proved right away that it is a top candidate to go far in the Euroleague this season, but Madrid showed great character and stayed in the game for the opening three quarters. Ioannis Bourousis paced the winners with 16 points and 7 rebounds in less than 23 minutes. Vassilis Spanoulis had 16 points, reigning Euroleague MVP Milos Teodosic added 15 and Rasho Nesterovic netted 12 for Olympiacos. Teodosic and Spanoulis each dished 7 assists, one shy of the Euroleague Opening Game record that still belongs to Theo Papaloukas. Sergio Llull led Madrid with 18 points. Carlos Suarez added 12 and Ante Tomic scored 10 for the guests. Felipe Reyes led a 0-9 run that allowed Madrid to take its biggest lead, 19-28, early in the second quarter. Bourousis stepped up in an 11-0 run that brought Olympiacos back to life and free throws by Spanoulis put the Reds ahead 36-35 at halftime. Olympiacos did not trail after the break, but a three-pointer by Suarez kept Madrid as close as 57-56. Olympiacos broke the game ope with a 15-0 run highlighted by Loukas Mavrokefalidis's incredible buzzer-beating triple. Teodosic struck from downtown to make it 72-56 and Madrid did not recover in the final five minutes.

Felipe Reyes hit free throws to become the first player to score in the 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague season. Nielsen shined with an uncontested dunk but a mid-range jumper by Llull gave Madrid a 2-4 edge. Kostas Papanikolaou and Sergio Rodriguez traded layups but a jump hook by Nesterovic and a driving layup by Spanoulis put the Reds back ahead, 8-6. Madrid called timeout to adjust its man-to-man defense and started to play with more intensity. The guests, however, struggled to find open looks until Llull beat the shot clock buzzer with an off-balance triple. Teodosic took over with a wild driving layup that D'or Fischer matched with a tip-in for a 10-11 score. Rodriguez scored in transition, as Olympiacos could not find the way to the basket now until Theo Papaloukas came off the bench and found Nesterovic for a jump hook. Bourousis followed with a three-point play for a new Olympiacos lead, 15-13. Madrid tried to improve its offense with Llull and Clay Tucker at both guards. Llull buried a fadeaway jumper but free throws by Bourousis and Carlos Suarez fixed the score at 17-17 after 10 minutes.

Llull canned a six-meter jumper early in the second quarter, as Olympiacos kept trying to run its offense through Bourousis. Madrid managed to double-team him down low but an acrobatic basket by Papaloukas tied it up, 19-19. Tucker sank a catch-and-shoot jumper that Tomic followed with a smooth move in the low post for a four-point Madrid lead, 19-23. Reyes buried a long jumper and bettered that with a three-pointer that silenced the crowd at 19-28, after a 0-9 run. Nielsen stepped up with a jump hook that Llull matched with a big jumper off a screen. Olympiacos faced early foul trouble, as Nielsen picked up his third midway through the second quarter. Spanoulis shined with his trademark driving layup and a technical foul on Madrid coach Ettore Messina allowed Teodosic to get his team within 25-30. Bourousis sank an open triple and added an easy basket to tie again, 30-30. Madrid kept missing open shots and Spanoulis scored in penetration to complete the Reds' comeback, 32-30, after an 11-0 run. Fischer sank free throws that an unstoppable Bourousis overcame with a big basket. Tucker nailed a triple but free throws by Spanoulis restored a 36-35 Olympiacos edge at halftime.

Teodosic struck from downtown immediately after the break but a jump hook by Tomic kept Madrid within 39-37. Nesterovic scored in the paint, as Olympiacos tried to open the floor with Zoran Erceg at power forward. Llull made free throws that Teodosic improved with a three-pointer for a 44-39 Olympiacos lead. The hosts kept powering the offensive board and Nesterovic finished a long, two-chance offense with a layup. Reyes and Spanoulis did not miss from the foul line but Papaloukas found Nesterovic for a layup-plus-foul that boosted the Reds' lead to 51-42 midway through the third quarter. Llull sank a huge triple, while on defense Madrid tried a 2-3 zone. Papaloukas found space for an uncontested layup that Suarez outdid with a corner triple, cutting the gap to 53-49. Loukas Mavrokefalidis shined with a put-back basket, as Olympiacos tried Spanoulis, Papaloukas and Teodosic together on court. Suarez kept pacing Madrid with a power layup and Llull got his team even closer, 55-53. Bourousis set the crowd on fire with a two-handed dunk and even when Suarez banked in a three-pointer, Mavrokefalidis scored down low and beat the buzzer with a half-court bomb that restored a 62-56 Olympiacos lead after 30 minutes.

Madrid switched back to man-to-man defense early in the fourth quarter but Papaloukas found Teodosic for an easy basket. Olympiacos played much more aggressively in defense, winning the physical battle under the rims. Meanwhile, a running three-pointer by Keselj and a fast break layup by Mavrokefalidis broke the game open, 69-56. Madrid called a much-needed timeout but Teodosic - who else? - buried a long three-pointer, capping a 15-0 run that bridged between the final quarters. Tomic tried to ignite the guests' comeback with a layup and a jump hook, as Olympiacos used long possessions to run the game clock down. Sergi Vidal capped a 0-6 run with a driving layup that forced the Reds to call timeout at 72-62. Jamon Gordon picked up a loose ball and put it in, but Madrid did not find the way to the basket when it mattered most. Free throws by Spanoulis sealed the outcome, 77-62, as the Olympiacos fans started celebrating that their team had opened the Euroleague season with an impressive win.