By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens blew out Darussafaka Tefken Istanbul, on the road, 67 – 91 winning its third consecutive game at a critical time of the season, as they are fighting for a playoff spot. As the weeks go by, the playoff race has gotten intense. With the win in Turkey, the ‘Greens’ improved to a 12-13 record.
The duo of Nick Calathes and DeShaun Thomas was unstoppable in the first half. In the first 14 minutes of the contest, Panathinaikos‘ playmaker had seven assists, leading his team to a double-digit advantage (23-34). Eight of the 34 points came from Thomas. The lead even grew to 15 points (29-44), despite the fact that the visitors shot 0/4 from the three-point line, but Darussafaka went on a mini-run in the final two minutes of the quarter to cut the deficit (37-46).
In the third period, the hosts tried to challenge the Greek side, but with Nick Calathes’ calmness, Panathinaikos kept a double-digit lead (53-66). Eventually, the visiting side went on a 0-9 run in the fourth quarter that put them up by 24 points (53-77). Since that point, the game was over. In the last three games, Rick Pitino’s team has scored over 90 points (94,99,91).
Despite knocking down two three-pointers, Panathinaikos scored 91 points. After the final buzzer, head coach Pitino commented on his team’s style of play: “We wanted to create a high number of steals. We understand that we are not a great three-point shooting team. We call it paint touching. Either off the dribble or in the post. We paint touched all night the high percentage shots. We also played great defense and got out on the break. We know who we are and that’s what’s most important for a basketball team. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses.”
Everything started with Calathes on both sides of the court. The 30-year old star finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists, while Ioannis Papapetrou was Panathinaikos leading scorer with 18 points. Georgios Papagiannis tied his career-high with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while DeShaun Thomas put up 12 points.
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