By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos especially at home has turned the clock back to the glory days and Barcelona experienced that first hand.
Kendrick Nunn with 22 points, Dinos Mitoglou with 19 and 10 rebounds, and Kostas Sloukas with 18 points and eight assists created a magic triangle that destroyed the guests.
The final score was 89-81 good enough for the tie-breaker advantage as both teams are now tied at 20-11, with Monaco being part of the three-way tie. Still, Panathinaikos has the advantage over them at the moment.
If there is a two-way tie between Panathinaikos and Barcelona, both teams have one win by +8 points, so their final standings will be decided by their total point difference of the regular season. Panathinaikos currently had a +154 and the lead over Barcelona (+113).
As coach Ergin Ataman said: “It was like winning two games tonight because we beat a strong opponent and also got the tie-breaker”.
Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez with 13 points each were the top scorers on the losing side.
Final Four dreams
Barcelona led even by 16 points (40-24) after a 17-0 run, however, everything changed in the second half.
The Blaugrana closed halftime up 34 – 46 before the comeback by Panathinaikos in the third period that was completed down the stretch.
Panathinaikos dominated the third period (26-15) and the fourth (29-20), led even by 13 points (89-76), and left little room for doubts in the end.
As Kostas Sloukas admitted after the game: “I always give 100% even when I make mistakes. I always play for the good of the team. I dream of the Final Four and we will fight until the end”.
Dinos Mitoglou also didn’t hide his excitement: “We needed this victory and we got it in this fantastic atmosphere. Now we are second in the standings and I can’t express my feelings. We are building something big and we are all trying very hard”.