Panathinaikos Athens (20-11) showed character, overcame a double-digit deficit and finally defeated Barcelona (20-11) – 89:81 (20:23, 14:23, 26:15, 29:20).
The hosts won the first meeting in Barcelona 80:72, so now there is complete equality between these teams.
It was PAO’s first win against Barca since 2018. The Greek club had lost 10 matches in a row.
| Player of the match | |
| EFF 25 | |
| Kostas Sloukas | |
| Points | 18 |
| Accuracy | 6-9 |
| Rebound balls | 4 |
| Effective passes | 8 |
The streak seemed to be over – the Catalans started the game confidently and had a 16-point advantage (40-24) in the second half, but Panathinaikos made an impressive comeback after the break.
PAO’s run back into the game started with a three-pointer by Mariaus Grigonis, and ended with his two-pointer with a foul, after which the home team took the lead – 56:55. Ergins Ataman’s students won the section 18:5.
Barca completely fell apart in the second half of the fourth quarter. After Jabari Parker’s three-pointer, the teams were separated by one shot (73-76), but PAO won the four-minute stretch 13-3 – 89-76.
In the last seconds, the Catalans managed to squeeze the maximum out of the current situation. Nicolas Laprovittola cut the deficit to 8 points with free throws.
For the Athens team, Kostas Sloukas scored 18 points (4/4 doubles, 2/5 triples, 4/4 penalties), 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 25 utility points in 33 minutes.
Kendrick Nunn was the top scorer for the winners, scoring 22 points (7/11 doubles, 2/5 triples) in 29 minutes.
Grigonis scored 8 points for the home team (2/4 doubles, 1/1 triple, 1/1 penalty) in 29 minutes. He also had 4 rebounds and 11 assists.
Match Review:
Tomaš Satoransky stood out in the ranks of the Barcelona team, who had 12 points (5/7 doubles, 0/1 triples, 2/3 penalties), 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 20 utility points in 27 minutes.
Rokas Jokubaitis, who started the match in the starting five for the second time this season, scored 6 points (3/5 doubles), 3 assists and 5 utility points in 16 minutes.
Panathinaikos: Kendrick Nunn 22 (7/11 doubles, 2/5 triples, 4 fouls), Konstantinos Mitoglou 19 (6/8 doubles, 10 rebounds), Kostas Slouks 18 (4/4 doubles ., 2/5 tr., 8 asp., 25 apg.), Mathias Lessort 13 (5/8 double., 7 rpg., 4 asp., 2 block.), Jerian Grant 9 ( 4 assists, 4 assists), Marius Grigonis 8.
Barcelona: Jan Vesely (5/11 doubles) and Willy Hernangomez (4/6 doubles, 5/7 penalty, 5 rebounds) each 13, Tomaš Satoransky (5/7 doubles, 5 rebounds) 12, Jabari Parker 9.
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