By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos guard Nick Calathes became just the second player to notch a triple-double in the modern EuroLeague era (post-2000). The Greek point guard did so during Thursday’s (4/4) win of his team against Buducnost.
With six minutes remaining, Calathes made a tip-in attempt to register his tenth rebound in the match and reach the triple-double. He had already scored 11 points and dished out 15 assists in less than 32 minutes he was on the floor until that moment.
Calathes finished with 11 points, 18 (!) assists and 11 rebounds in 36:44 en route to leading Panathinaikos to a win that checked the “Greens” a playoffs ticket.
It was just the third triple-double this century in EuroLeague. Croatian center Nikola Vujcic was previously the only EuroLeague player with a triple-double in his resume. Actually two.
Vujcic, a two-time EuroLeague champion, made the achievement twice while he was playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. First in a November 2005 win over Polish side Prokom and then a year later, in November 2006 during a victory over Slovenian team Union Olimpija.
Calathes had flirted with the triple-double numerous time in the past. In some occasions, he had fallen short just a rebound of posting the triple-double so basically, it was considered only a matter of time, circumstances or staying on the court long enough in order to actually record one.
That happened in the match vs. Buducnost where Calathes wrote a special page of history in the EuroLeague annals.