ESAKE Playoffs: Panathinaikos Forces Game 5 After Dramatic 93-86 Win Over Olympiacos in Esake Finals
Panathinaikos outlast Olympiacos 93-86 in game 4, forcing winner take all game 5 Photo Credit: Panathinaikos BC
The Esake Finals are going the distance. Panathinaikos Athens defeated Olympiacos Piraeus 93-86 on June 10 in a tightly contested Game 4, leveling the series at 2-2 and setting up a decisive fifth game. It was a playoff battle defined by depth, defensive grit, and collective execution — qualities that ultimately separated the two sides.
Hayes-Davis and Nunn Carry Panathinaikos’ Winning Formula
Nigel Hayes-Davis was the embodiment of Panathinaikos’ approach in Game 4. Playing an extraordinary 48 minutes, the forward served as the team’s defensive anchor and rebounding engine, finishing with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. His near-complete presence on the floor was no accident — the coaching staff clearly trusted him to anchor the defensive scheme against an Olympiacos offense that relied heavily on individual creation.
Off the bench, Kendrick Nunn delivered an efficient 23-point punch in just 25 minutes, providing the scoring burst that gave Panathinaikos crucial separation at key moments. T.J. Shorts II added 13 points and 4 assists in 22 minutes, while Vassilis Toliopoulos chipped in 11 points. Mathias Lessort quietly contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes, reinforcing the team’s interior presence. The message was clear: Panathinaikos won this game as a unit.
Fournier’s 29-Point Night Not Enough for Olympiacos
On the other side, Evan Fournier produced one of his finest performances of the series. The French guard poured in a game-high 29 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished 3 assists across 46 grueling minutes. His effort was undeniable — but it also highlighted Olympiacos’ structural problem in this game. Fournier carried too much of the offensive load, and while Thomas Walkup added 19 points and Sasha Vezenkov contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds, the balance never matched what Panathinaikos brought collectively.
Where Panathinaikos spread production across five or six contributors, Olympiacos leaned too heavily on Fournier to generate offense. In a playoff series this tight, that reliance proved costly in a seven-point defeat.
The two Greek powerhouses now prepare for a winner-take-all Game 5, where every possession will carry maximum weight. Panathinaikos will look to sustain the same collective energy that won them Game 4, while Olympiacos must find better support around Fournier if they hope to claim the Esake title. After four games of high-intensity basketball, the series has delivered exactly what Greek basketball fans could have hoped for.
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