The thrilling derby between Greek and European basketball ended in favor of Olympiacos.

The Euroleague leaders secured a 76:74 victory over Panathinaikos on home turf, making significant strides towards clinching the top spot before the playoffs. After the 29th round, they hold a two-win advantage over second-place Fenerbahçe.

In the first half, Olympiacos led by as much as 12 points and extended their lead to 19 points in the third quarter, but the reigning European champions fought back.

This tension culminated in a nail-biting finish; however, Kostas Slukas failed to convert a three-pointer that could have sealed the game.

Saša Vezenkov led Olympiacos with 18 points, matching Kostas Mitoglu’s tally from the opposing side.

Meanwhile, Barcelona triumphed over Partizan with a score of 87:80, guided by Kevin Panter.

The former captain of the “black and whites” ended the game with 25 points, including 17 in the first half, as Barça rallied from a 10-point deficit to establish a solid lead.

Partizan narrowed the gap to 77:75 in the fourth quarter, but a series of blunders on both sides allowed Barcelona to maintain their advantage. Sterling Brown and Isaiah Mike each contributed 16 points for Partizan.

This marks the 14th loss for Željko Obradović’s team (15-14), placing them in a tie for 10th position in the standings with Anadolu Efes, who they are set to face at the Belgrade Arena in the following round.

Efes claimed victory over Bayern with a score of 97:92 in Munich, thanks to 25 points from Shane Larkin and 23 from Rodrigo Bobo.

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