Fenerbahce's Hayes-Davis, Pierre delivered at both ends in Game 4
Game 4 of the thrilling playoff series between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus, eventually won 73-69 by the Turkish team to force a decider in Greece next week, was a real slug fest, with neither team conceding an inch and defenses dominating nearly the entire game.
But the incredibly intense, physical nature of the contest still did not deter Fenerbahce’s Marathon Men from making their usual huge contribution: Nigel Hayes-Davis played every single second, while Dyshawn Pierre spent nearly 37 minutes on the floor.
This is nothing new. Hayes-Davis, who also played the full 40 minutes in Round 33 of the regular season against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, has spent no less than 35:18 on the court in every game of the series, whereas Pierre averages nearly 36 minutes in the playoffs with a minimum of 32:44 playing time.
Both players used their time on the court to make big contributions during Friday's win. Offensively, that was mostly done through long-range shooting, with Pierre sinking 4 of his 6 three-point attempts en route to a total of 17 points, with 3 of those successful strikes coming in the decisive final 4 minutes of the game to lift Fenerbahce at exactly the right time.
At least one man was totally unsurprised by Pierre’s burst of scoring. Speaking after the game, Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas lamented: “Dyshawn Pierre scored three-point shots which were crucial in that moment of the game. We needed to be careful to avoid his shots, because we mentioned that this guy would be the decision-maker, the crucial guy. We allowed him to have 3 open shots, and he made them.”
Similarly, Hayes-Davis netted 12 points thanks to 3 three-pointers on just 4 attempts, including back-to-back strikes early in the fourth quarter as Fenerbahce launched a 9-0 run to move ahead 54-49 and take control of the game for the first time. He also added a trio of nerveless free throws down the stretch and dished 2 assists.
Keeping Vezenkov quiet
Even more important than that offensive production, however, was Hayes-Davis’s defense on Sasha Vezenkov. This season’s leading scorer in the competition, with an average of 17.2 points per game, was a shadow of his usual self on Friday night, scoring just 2 points on 1-of-6 field goal attempts, including 5 misses from long range.
That wasn’t for a lack of trying, because Vezenkov spent nearly 30 minutes on the floor as Olympiacos repeatedly tried to get their key shooter going. But with Hayes-Davis in his face literally every second that he spent in the game, Vezenkov was not allowed to find any rhythm and became a non-factor long before the final stages, not even attempting one shot during the final 13 minutes as the Reds instead turned to Shaquielle McKissic – who scored 12 points in the last quarter – to lead their offense.
Keeping such a talented and confident player so quiet is an enormous achievement, even more so as it was achieved by playing hard but fair. Vezenkov did not draw a single foul, with Hayes-Davis disciplining himself to be called for 3 fouls over the course of his full 40 minutes.
The tired players from both teams can now try to get some rest before deciding their grueling series in Piraeus on Tuesday. But no matter how hard they have worked so far, we can be certain of one thing: Hayes-Davies and Pierre will be there in Game 5, and it will be almost impossible to drag them off the court.
Game Videos
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Paris Basketball | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
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Reds go stealing and dunking! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:27
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/05/KFH1qP9NFofQhKbBMS4Aa8WkNtDZr72G-1733440760265.jpg]()
Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'I learned a valuable lesson'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/56086f0e-5438-4076-a0b9-096cfdfc1188.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:43
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Shaq McKissic: 'I appreciate Coach for allowing me to play through my mistakes'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7e18fc91-7b10-458b-ac54-e73b637e0544.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:15
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Evan Fournier: 'It's a privilege and a pleasure to play in front of these fans’
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Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:28
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Marko Guduric: 'I don’t know how we pulled this one out'
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:27
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Marko Guduric: 'Since 2019, we hadn't won here!'
- 00:21
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Colson stops Mitchell! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Zagars's acrobatic layup! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:07
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'We are more than happy'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv–Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 10 highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:00
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Nikola Milutinov: 'This is why the EuroLeague is so strong'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:25
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'His negativity is what fuels me'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich| RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Straight from the court: Fournier and Vezenkov analyze Greek derby outcome | Post-game show
- 01:07
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Saras Jasikevicius: 'We have a great group of guys'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:23
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Sasha Vezenkov: 'I missed this derby so much'
- 01:42
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Shaq McKissic relives his best Greek derby plays
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:40
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: ‘We have to be consistent on both ends, starting with me’
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/40043d1f-a1ff-4026-9f10-9edebe01c62a.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A97%3A80]()
Showtime basketball by Fenerbahce! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:06
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Nikola Milutinov: 'We showed what we can do'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dbb5ec50-f5d8-4fb1-888a-4e8489266959.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-FC Barcelona | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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McKissic detonates the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Real Madrid | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:39
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/29/odGlyMa67tVX2403HjSpmg9YD0nJxY7Y-1730238264271.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov: 'We are good players, we just need to become a good team'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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FC Bayern Munich-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:08
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Peters stops Booker! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/40afb3f1-808c-42b2-be8f-1b0ff1b2cbec.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Olympiacos Piraeus | RS Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Evan Fournier on the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Moses Wright throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:05
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Nicolo Melli: 'We go back to Istanbul happy'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/62c8f826-9d1d-4993-989a-e2788075794d.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/995e49db-6a12-4513-93f8-be26bcef5730.jpg]()
Sasha Vezenkov | RS Round 3 MVP | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/15/XMzj50K8dvsS6TGOKZx9QISpuHTNFj0B-1729026823586.jpg]()
Georgios Bartzokas: 'Shaq McKissic knows how much we trust him'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
