Olympiacos lose Fournier, Montero is a doubt, Dorsey trains alone before Fenerbahçe

By the Data Desk · Published 21 OCT 05:40

Three guards have scored 224 of Olympiacos' 589 EuroLeague points this season, and on Friday against Fenerbahçe none of them is a sure starter. Evan Fournier is out for about 20 days, Jean Montero is doubtful and Tyler Dorsey trained on his own on Tuesday while the club decides his punishment, SPORT24 and Gazzetta reported.

• Fournier has a large haematoma on his left shoulder and a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee; he had played all six games, 11.3 points in 24.4 minutes (EuroLeague box scores).
• Montero, the team's second scorer at 15.5 points and 4.5 assists, has a sprained right ankle and a ligament injury in his left knee; SPORT24 lists him as doubtful.
• Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahçe are all 5-1 at the top, and Olympiacos host Fenerbahçe at the SUNEL Arena on Friday, 23 October, at 18:15 UTC.

The medical news came from the club on Tuesday evening. Gazzetta, citing the Olympiacos update, gave both diagnoses: for Fournier «αιμάτωμα στον αριστερό ώμο» and a sprain of the medial ligament in the right knee, for Montero a sprained right ankle and «συνδεσμική κάκωση στο αριστερό γόνατο», a ligament injury in the left knee. Montero has started treatment and the staff are being careful with him. Twenty days from Tuesday runs to 9 November, which covers Fenerbahçe, Besiktas away on 28 October, Milan on 30 October and Crvena Zvezda on 6 November.

Behind the scenes, the Dorsey file is still open. Konstantinos Melagies of SPORT24 reported that he did an individual programme on Tuesday instead of practising with the team, and pickandroll.gr wrote that the club's first decision is to keep him out of group training until a final ruling: «Η πρώτη απόφαση είναι να συνεχίσει ο 30χρονος γκαρντ να προπονείται ατομικά». He has already explained himself to general manager Nikos Lepeniotis. By 04:30 UTC on Wednesday no punishment had been announced.

The numbers show what is missing. Dorsey has made 11 threes, more than anyone in the squad, at 40.7% from deep in five games; Fournier has 9 and Montero 8. Together the three have made 28 of Olympiacos' 50 threes and taken 91 of their 153 attempts. Sasha Vezenkov, at 18.0 points a game, and Mbaye Ndiaye, at 12.2, are the top scorers left untouched.

Fenerbahçe bring the league's second-best defence, 74.5 points allowed a game, against an attack that scores 98.2, second only to Valencia. Olympiacos won in Barcelona 105-100 after overtime without Dorsey, with Montero scoring 13. What happens next: the club rules on Dorsey and the staff decide on Montero before Friday's tip-off.