Olympiacos have a rather uncomfortable number to carry into Thursday's EuroLeague meeting with Dubai: five made three-pointers from 36 attempts. That was the damage in last week's 62–57 home defeat to Crvena Zvezda, a night when Sasha Vezenkov scored 27 points and the rest of the attack couldn't find a rhythm. Now Dubai arrive in Piraeus with four straight EuroLeague away wins and an offence that has been much more efficient on its travels. For Giorgos Bartzokas, this isn't just a chance to bounce back. It's a test of whether Olympiacos can move the ball with conviction when their outside shooting stops cooperating.
The Crvena Zvezda defeat exposed how narrow Olympiacos' scoring became. They trailed 40–22 at half-time, finished with only nine assists against 13 turnovers and needed Vezenkov to keep the contest alive almost single-handedly. A late rally cut the deficit to two before the visitors closed it out. The club's match report describes a side that recovered defensively but couldn't convert enough of the looks it created. The next opponent has the personnel to punish another slow start, particularly if Olympiacos spend too many possessions searching for a difficult jumper.
Dubai's form makes that warning real. Xavi Pascual's side beat Virtus Bologna 93–75 on 6 November, opening a 48–34 half-time lead and extending its EuroLeague away winning streak to four. It wasn't a one-man shooting exhibition: Džanan Musa, Tornike Shengelia, McKinley Wright and Mfiondu Kabengele all influenced the game, and seven Dubai players finished with a performance index rating above 10. The Dubai match report highlights their ball security and the way they controlled the middle quarters. The visitors are 7–3 after ten EuroLeague rounds, level with Olympiacos on wins but arriving off a very different continental result.
There is a familiar face in the visitors' backcourt. Thomas Walkup left Olympiacos for Dubai in September after five seasons in Piraeus, and his new club confirmed the transfer as a multi-year agreement. That history gives the fixture a natural subplot, but the basketball question is sharper than the reunion itself: Dubai have added an experienced defensive organiser to a group already capable of creating advantages with Wright and its wings. Olympiacos know what Walkup can do to disrupt an opponent's first action. Now they may have to solve the same problem from the other side of the ball, depending on Thursday's final rotation.
Nikola Milutinov has already identified the visitors' backcourt as a danger, while singling out Kabengele as one of Europe's most influential centres. That matters for Olympiacos' defensive choices. Press too far out on Dubai's guards and the ball can reach Kabengele with space near the rim; retreat too deeply and the visitors get room to build their offence. In Wednesday's club media session, Bartzokas also discussed the challenge of restoring chemistry after absences and the return of Evan Fournier. He wants better execution, not a convenient explanation about the arena or the schedule.
The frontcourt duel should be just as revealing. Milutinov's size gives Olympiacos a way to establish position inside and create a target when perimeter possessions stall, but Kabengele can make every catch and rebound a contest. Dubai have also shown they can score through multiple forwards rather than feeding a single centre. Olympiacos will need Vezenkov involved without allowing their other creators to become spectators. The response to five-from-36 shooting isn't necessarily to stop taking threes; it's to earn cleaner ones by moving defenders, attacking the paint and making the next pass on time.
There is another pressure point in the fixture's timing. Olympiacos followed their EuroLeague loss with an 83–81 domestic escape against Maroussi, so their recent results haven't delivered much breathing room. Dubai, meanwhile, can point to road wins against Baskonia, Milan, Bayern and Virtus. That sequence has made travelling less of a problem than it is for most EuroLeague teams. If the visitors can keep their turnovers low and force Olympiacos into long, static possessions, the home crowd may be watching another tense finish rather than a routine response.
Thursday's Round 11 contest is scheduled for 20:15 CET at the SUNEL Arena, with Dubai's official fixture list showing Olympiacos as the host. The most useful early indicator won't be whether Vezenkov hits his first shot. Watch how quickly Olympiacos generate a second good option after Dubai deny the first, and whether Milutinov can make the visitors defend the paint before they settle into their perimeter coverages. Against a team that's won four straight away from home, five made threes won't be much of a rescue plan.
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