By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
LDLC ASVEL had a shooting performance for the record books and Panathinaikos couldn’t do much. However, when your opponent is shooting 70% in threes, there’s not much you can do anyway. ASVEL got the 97-73 win, making 17 out of 24 three-point attempts.
David Lighty with 19 points led the charge, Norris Cole and William Howard added 16 points each and everything went smoothly for the unit of coach TJ Parker.
ASVEL’s coach wasn’t satisfied despite the stellar shooting: “We made a lot of mistakes, a lot of turnovers. This has been a problem. We’ll watch the video, but we have aggressive guys. A great win against Panathinaikos. Shots were falling down, but it’s a good win. I always believed in the team. The team has been practicing well the whole time. We’ve had some issues with COVID-19, now we are just finding the rhythm. We didn’t have the time. Right now we have time, everybody’s here, which helps.”
On the other hand, Cole was happy about his return from injury: “I’ve been working hard to get back. It’s part of my job here on the team to be a leader. It sucks when you can’t get out there and compete with your brothers. Now that I am back healthy, I’m just playing my role and doing what I’m supposed to do to help us win.”
Strangely enough, the performance of ASVEL beyond the arc was just the 15th best in the history of the EuroLeague. Barcelona holds the record with a mindboggling 84,62% efficiency since 2003.
Panathinaikos was trailing by 14 at halftime (44-30) and thanks to their stellar shooting the hosts kept their distance until the end. George Papagiannis with 14 points was the top scorer of the losing side.
The game was postponed from the third round and that’s why Selvin Mack, who was added later in the roster of Panathinaikos, wasn’t able to participate. Both teams have now three wins, but ASVEL (3-6) has a better record than Panathinaikos (3-7).