Return of victories for the “clover” with the leaders of Lesor and Mitoglou
Panathinaikos returned to winning ways in the Euroleague by beating Baskonia 95-81, making a dynamic return to positive results.
The match was of pivotal importance for both teams, with Panathinaikos ignoring a more positive result in the Euroleague in two matches against opponents Fener and Maccabi in the closed OAKA. On the Basque side, with three consecutive home defeats by Bayern and Zalgiris in the Euroleague and by Malaga in the Spanish league. In the first 10 minutes, Juan Penaroya’s team wanted to run and with Howard and Manion as the main executors, they had the offensive reins of the match with the “greens” chasing the score. Slukas with his personal points gave Ataman’s team what they needed, with the difference being covered and the score of the first period ending at 24-22.
In the second period, Panathinaikos was released with consecutive points, mainly with the arrival of Dinos Mitoglou on the floor and the collaborations he made with Matias Lessor. The players of Penaroya reacted, reaching the score in the basket, but the French center of the “clover” was dominant. Ataman’s players increased the difference by three points compared to this first period, closing the half with +5 and a score of 48-43.
In the replay Lessor entered with the pace he had from the first part, with the center of the “greens” being the main scorer in attack and the barometer player in defense building the attacks. An obstacle to the plans of the “cloverleaf” was Marinkovic, with the Serb executing all the phases he could find from 6.75. The combative Basques held on throughout the third period, with the six-time European champions stuck in attack, but with the tall France international having what it takes to spur his side on. The score before the final period was 70-66.
In the last quarter, the Spaniards played everything for everything, with Panathinaikos making a partial score of 11-2 and escaping by making the right choices until the end of the match. Lessor and Mitoglou dominated both sides of the floor, effectively ending the match quickly.
