Olympiacos Piraeus have become the fourth and final team to book a trip to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade.
In front of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and backed by a cheering crowd, the hosts beat AS Monaco 94-88 (11-13, 30-35, 25-22, 28-18).
Oly will return to F4 after a five-year break. Their next rivals are defending EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas tied the game at 75 early in the fourth quarter. Sloukas continued his successful game and Oly led by three (84-81) with 3:40 to go.
The two clubs exchanged effective attacks, while Kostas Sloukas nailed a three-point dagger (89-83). However, Mike James answered Oly on the other side (86-89). The same Sloukas converted both shots from the line and Olympiacos led 91-86 with 1:40 to play.
Will Thomas scored a duo (88-91) but Tyler Dorsey sank a bomb from the depths (94-88). Olympiacos made some crucial saves and got a W.
Clutch Kostas Sloukas finished the duel with 15 points (1/3 2PT, 2/2 3PT, 7/8 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers and 22 PIRs.
Shaquielle McKissic had 18 points (4/4 2PT, 2/3 3PT, 4/4 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 24 PIRs.
Mike James posted a double-double for the losing team, racking up 24 points (4/7 2PT, 2/10 3PT, 10/11 FT), 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 turnovers and 26 PIRs.
The first half was all about the X factors. Paris Lee and Yakuba Ouattara combined 7 of Monaco’s 8 3-point scorers, scoring 24 points in total.
On the other side, Shaquielle McKissic scored 16 points in the second quarter and kept her team within fighting distance. However, Monaco were leading 48-41 at halftime.
Led by Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos started 11-2 and took the upper hand (56-55). However, the success was temporary as Danilo Andjusic burst into flames late in the third period, scoring five points in a row.
Additionally, Mike James gobbled up a three-pointer at the buzzer and gave his team a 4-point cushion (70-66) heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Olympiacos: Shaquielle McKissic 18, Thomas Walkup 17, Tyler Dorsey 16, Kostas Sloukas 15 (5 REB, 5 AST).
Monaco: Mike James 24 (10 AST), Yakuba Outtara 15, Paris Lee 14, Dwayne Bacon 12.
