Evan Fournier and Olympiacos made a huge statement with win over Fenerbahce

Evan Fournier recorded a career-high 36 points as he helped Olympiacos to a huge win over

Fenerbahce to close the gap at the top of the EuroLeague.

The victory will buoy the confidence of Olympiacos fans as the play-offs draw near, especially as they defeated their biggest rivals for the title and the current defending champions in Fenerbahce.

Fournier scores career-high in big win for Olympiacos

Olympiacos came into the game with a mountain to climb. Fenerbahce had won 9 of their last 10 games coming into the bout, and still had the best away record in the league. With just weeks until the play-offs begin, Fenerbahce still hold the number 1 seed, with Olympiacos trailing three games behind.

The red-and-whites produced a ruthless performance. They forced Fenerbahce into 17 turnovers, and were brutally efficient, scoring 61.3% from the field as they won 104-87. MVP candidate Sasha Vezenkov scored 24 points, and guard Thomas Walkup notched up 11 assists.

But it was 33-year-old shooting guard Evan Fournier who dominated the game. Fournier netted 36 points in just 23 minutes in the game, including 5-9 from 3 point range, making it the most successful night in his long career. He also recorded 3 assists.

In what could well be a dress rehearsal of the EuroLeague finals to come in May, it gives Olympiacos a huge confidence boost to carry forward through the rest of the league phase and into the play-offs. It’s also made Olympiacos the bookmaker’s favourite for the EuroLeague title.

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Olympiacos triumph gives them huge play-off momentum

The EuroLeague play-offs are now less than a month away, and with Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, and other contenders like Real Madrid, this remainder of the season is about building momentum.

After 34 games, entire seasons and legacies will be decided by a 5-game series. A statement win over one of your championship rivals goes further at this stage of the season than any regular win ever could.

Olympiacos proved to have too much firepower for Fernerbahce. The Turkish side were overwhelmed by Olympiacos’ fast ball movement and strength. At this stage, the two teams are the number 1 and number 2 seed, and would therefore only meet in the final. But if they do meet, it will be Olympiacos that already has the mental advantage, even if they were defeated by Fernerbahce earlier in the season.

Despite Fernabahce’s steady form, they will be wary of coming across Olympiacos in the play-offs. Olympiacos will be looking to add to their 3 EuroLeague titles, with their last coming in 2013, while Fernabahce will be looking to be the first EuroLeague team to retain the title since Olympiacos did the same year.