Olympiacos Piraeus finally broke a nine-year away curse in Istanbul by beating Anadolu Efes Istanbul 74-68 on Thursday night, extending the Turkish side’s losing streak to eight games in the 2025-26 EuroLeague season.
The win, Olympiacos’ first away match against Efes since 2017, came in front of a sell-out crowd at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center and reinforced the Greek club’s strong recent form in continental play.
Only Kostas Papanikolaou and Nikola Milutinov remain from the last Olympiacos team to win in Istanbul, with Milutinov sidelined this time due to concussion protocols.
The visitors set the tone early, opening the game with an 0-8 run as Tyler Dorsey knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to quiet the crowd.
Olympiacos continued to dictate the pace in the first quarter, with Sasha Vezenkov scoring 12 points to increase the lead to 25-13 after 10 minutes.
The Reds maintained control in the second quarter thanks to disciplined defense and ball movement, increasing the margin to 48-31 at halftime behind the efficient bench production of Donta Hall and Tyson Ward.
Efes responded after the break by tightening the defense and limiting one of the league’s most prolific offenses to just 10 points in the third quarter.
Saben Lee galvanized the hosts midway through the fourth, quickly scoring five points to cut the deficit to 63-61 and bring the building back to life.
A timely timeout from head coach Georgios Bartzokas steadied Olympiakos, who responded with a decisive 0-8 run to regain control.
Thomas Walkup delivered the crucial blow with a controversial three-pointer, followed by baskets from Vezenkov and Dorsey, making it 71-61 with less than two minutes remaining.
Walkup logged more than 33 minutes due to injuries to Frank Ntilikina and Monte Morris, finishing with six points, nine assists, four rebounds and a steal.
The guard has now made eight of his last 11 attempts from beyond the arc in the past three games after struggling from deep earlier this season.
Vezenkov led all scorers with 19 points, while Dorsey and Evan Fournier each added 11 as Olympiacos improved to 15-8 and remained fourth in the standings.
Efes, now 6-18 and last in the standings, was led by PJ Dozier’s 16 points and continues to search for answers under head coach Pablo Laso.
Olympiacos next host FC Barcelona, while Efes prepares for a Turkish derby against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
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