By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens sealed an important 88-75 victory against Anadolu Efes at home in Round 21 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
The Greens snapped back from a three-game losing streak and are again in playoffs sight with a 9-12 record. Despite the loss, Efes remains secure for the moment with a 13-8 record.
Stunning Nick Calathes had a superb performance in this win pushing his team while flirting with a triple-double. The experienced 29-year-old guard posted 20 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes on the court, for an all-around PIR of 36.
“Taking up a team in the middle of the season is a nightmare, but our players work up to three hours a day and there’s a constant improvement in the team”, mentioned Rick Pitino in the post-game press conference.
The hosts managed to stop the Turkish side’s comeback at the end of the third period, while at the same time kept them far below their average of points scored (85.5 prior to this game).
Rodrigue Beaubois added a team-high of 15 points for the Turkish team, while Tibor Pleiss followed with 12 points.
“In the first half, we found open shots, in the second we exaggerated so we needed to continue to rotate the ball. That was our problem”, commented Ergin Ataman after the game.