For both Olympiacos Piraeus and Virtus Segafredo Bologna a lot relies on their defensive effort, and that starts on the perimeter where a pair of players, Thomas Walkup for the Reds and Alessandro Pajola for Virtus, have excelled this season disrupting opposing offenses.
Marquee matchup: Walkup, Olympiacos vs. Pajola, Virtus
Walkup leads the league with 2.5 steals per game this season, his fifth in the competition, having multiple stelas in eight of his 11 appearances. Over the last four games, Walkup has averaged 3.7 steals. The Olympiacos guard is also posting 5.1 assists, and along with 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and loads of energy he brings, Walkup has become an irreplaceable piece in a starting role for the Reds.
On the other hand, Pajola has been a lot less involved offensively for Virtus, but has been consistently disruptive for opposing offenses. Pajola has at least 1 steal in 10 of 11 games coming off the bench in his first season in the competition, and ranks fourth among all EuroLeague players with 1.7 per game. Pajola has been more of a factor offensively of late, posting 5.0 points over the last four games, but Virtus will primarily need Pajola to bother the two Olympiacos playmakers, Walkup and Kostas Sloukas, for a shot at a victory in Piraeus.