By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nick Calathes scored 27 points, dished out 14 assists and grabbed eight rebounds for 39 PIR as Panathinaikos defeated Olimpia Milano 95 – 83 on the road to capture its sixth win in a row in EuroLeague.
This was more than just a simple victory for Panathinaikos. The Greens, that are now 15 – 13, got the tiebreaking advantage in a potential tie Milano and now have the upper hand in the battle for the playoffs.
“It’s one thing to make the playoffs, it’s a second thing to be playing great basketball going into the playoffs. We keep getting better every practice, every game, every week, every month. And that’s what basketball is all about,” Panathinaikos coach Rick Pitino said after the game.
This was the second straight loss for Milano that dropped to 14 – 14. Mindaugas Kuzminskas was the top player of the team with 17 points and six rebounds while Mike James scored 16 points following his 35-point performance, but also had six turnovers to go with his four assists. The Italian side was leading 47 – 44 at halftime but crumbled under the weight of a superior Panathinaikos in the second half.
Led by Calathes and with Keith Langford (17 points) and DeShaun Thomas (15 points) adding key performances, Panathinaikos imposed its rule both ends to win the third quarter 17 – 28 and retained control of all aspects of the game until the remainder of the match.
Milano was unable to keep up, committing way too many turnovers down the stretch and giving its opponents plenty of scoring opportunities. With three minutes left, Panathinaikos even got a 16-point lead, 75 – 91. The only question remaining was if Calathes would finish with the triple-double.