By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
There was a celebration at OAKA as Panathinaikos’ renovated home opened for their fans.
So the Greens were obliged to deliver and they did, getting a 94-79 win and a 2-0 start in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Mathias Lessort with 22 points was the top scorer of the winning side, followed by Kendrick Nunn (17 p., 6 as.) and Juancho Hernangomez (12 p.), while Jerian Grant added 11 and Lorenzo Brown scored nine points.
Bayern tried to pressure the champs and at some points, they did it. Still, when all was said and done, the Germans couldn’t be a real threat throughout the game.
Big man Devin Booker with 15 points and Carsen Edwards with 14 were the leading scorers of the guests.
A walk at OAKA
The Greek fans wanted a show and Panathinaikos delivered, starting the game with a 10-0 run and leading early 20-8.
At the end of the first period, the score was 25-16 and at halftime, the Greens were up by 13 (47-34) as Nunn and Lessort had already scored 12 points each.
Bayern was trying to react, but Panathinaikos kept the distance leading 64-51 after a three by Hernangomez with less than two minutes left in the third period.
Thanks to the first three of Oscar Da Silva in the game, Bayern finally made it an eight-point game again (66-58) at the end of the quarter and started the fourth with two free throws by Danko Brankovic to trim the lead to six (66-60).
A quick 4-0 run was the answer (70-60) but Bayern didn’t give up and made it a five-point game (70-65). And then another 8-0 run by Panathinaikos (78-65) restored order.
Photo credit: EuroLeague