The captain returned from an illness, while the center played in Game 4 after sitting in Game 3
Papanikolaou, Milutinov showed what a complete Olympiacos can do in Game 5
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Neither Kostas Papanikolaou nor Nikola Milutinov may have finished with a double-digit number of points in Game 4 against FC Barcelona, but the two experienced players contributed the most to Olympiacos Piraeus’s 92-58 victory in Game 4 at Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday.
Ahead of the clash, the Greek side reported no absentees for the first time in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. Papanikolaou, who missed the first three games due to illness, made his return to action, thus enjoying a record 307th EuroLeague career start.
The Olympiacos captain had a slow start to the game as he worked his way back into game sharpness, going 0 for 3 from the field in his first 6:34 minutes on the floor before the break.
However, Papanikolaou started strong in the second half, making a steal that was followed by 3 defensive rebounds before ending the third quarter in style. Olympiacos was leading 63-45 with 1:36 left on the clock when Papanikolaou came to the fore and practically put the game to bed with 3 consecutive triples, with the Reds taking a 72-47 lead into the final quarter.
Papanikolaou refused to sit out of Game 4
In the post-game press conference, head coach Georgios Bartzokas revealed that illness should have sidelined his player for Game 4, too. “A special mention to Kostas Papanikolaou,” Bartzokas noted. “The blood tests he made were bad because of the virus; he should have stayed out of this game. Somehow, he sacrificed his health as he wasn’t in a condition to play this kind of game with that energy, that hustle and that physicality. But everybody saw how much he helped us.”
In a game that he was supposed to miss out on, Papanikolaou featured for 19:25 minutes and produced a complete performance, recording 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. “It’s a combination of me wanting to give everything and the fans driving me with their applause, singing my name,” Papanikolaou commented. “That gives me the willingness to want to give back something. I’m really glad that I put in a little bit of something today to help us win.”
Most importantly, Papanikolaou injected some much-needed energy into the team along with Milutinov, who pulled off his best outing in months. An ankle injury forced Milutinov to remain sidelined for almost three months. He returned to action for Olympiacos’s last game of the regular season, playing for just 4:27 minutes in an 84-81 overtime win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Coach Bartzokas had decided to ease Milutinov’s return to the floor, taking into account how demanding the series against Barcelona was expected to be.
Milutinov made a positive impact
In fact, Milutinov featured for 5:06 and 7:50 minutes in Games 1 and 2, respectively, and didn’t step onto the floor at all in Game 3. Yet, in Game 4, with everything at stake, he stepped up and helped his team react after the Reds’ home loss on Tuesday night. Milutinov paired his 8 points with 11 rebounds for a PIR of 18 in 21:47 minutes to help Olympiacos dominate the paint in a game that saw it outrebound Barcelona 47-31.
“I want to congratulate the whole team for the passion and the willingness not to let this game slip today,” Papanikolaou added. “Also, the effort that everybody puts on the court and the fans with their support drive us the whole season. Everybody puts a little stone to succeed in a do-or-die game. It’s not about me, it’s about the team and that’s the most important thing.”
Having tied the series at 2-2, Olympiacos will travel to Spain next week as it takes on Barcelona in a crucial Game 5. “We’ve given ourselves a chance to play a final game to get to the Final Four,” Papanikolaou continued. “We play away [from home] and Barcelona will have the burden on their shoulders now. We’ve just got to go there, play our type of game, play our style of basketball and see what the result will bring to us.”
As Papanikolaou and Milutinov proved on Thursday, having a complete roster for a second game in a row could be decisive in Game 5 for an Olympiacos team that has suffered from numerous injuries this season. The head-to-head record between the two teams is 4-2 in the Blaugrana’s favor this season and it remains to be seen which of the two sides will manage to clinch a spot for the Final Four.