By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Athens defeated Anadolu Efes 86 – 70 at home to improve its record to 3-3 and force the Turkish team to its first loss after four straight wins.
Tyrese Rice dropped a season-high 18 points and had a key sequence of plays with a steal on Round 5 MVP Vasilije Micic and a 3-pointer on the other that handed Panathinaikos a 79 – 68 lead with 2:48 remaining. Efes scored just free throws in the time left as the “Greens” found the room to increase their lead.
“That felt good. I think it was due for something good to happen. Nick [Calathes] has been playing 35-36 minutes per game and we have to help him. That is our leader, that is the captain, and it is our job to do our role and help him out. I think the defense was contagious. The atmosphere was great and we fed off that, but first of all, our intensity on defense was great. To hold a team like this to 70 points, that is not common. They are used to putting 90 on the board against everybody,” Rice said to EuroLeague TV after the game.
Shane Larkin posted 28 points, nine of them in the first five minutes of the fourth period but apart from him and Chris Singleton (11 points, 11 rebounds vs. his former team from 2016 to 2018), Efes underperformed. Micic finished with -4 PIR after committing seven turnovers and shooting 0/6 triples while Krunoslav Simon made 1/9 from beyond the arc en route to finishing with 11 points.
On the other side, plenty of Panathinaikos players delivered. Nick Calathes was business as usual with his third straight double-double (11 points and 11 assists) while Ioannis Papapetrou scored a season-high 14 points before fouling out. George Papagiannis added a season-best 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes and Jimmer Fredette 11 points in 17 minutes.
How to stop one of the top offensive teams in Europe
The defense was without a doubt the key for Panathinaikos in the match and coach Argiris Pedoulakis analyzed how his team “locked” the weapons of Efes.
“I believe that we played a good game today,” Pedoulakis said. “We played with a lot of energy. We were able to control the defensive part of the game and the rebounds against a team that is very well-structured right now. They always try to take advantage of our weaknesses and the secret was that we got help from players who came off the bench today. We brought out a lot of energy on defense and were able to match up with the big lineup that Efes had. At the same time, they had three creators on the floor, with Micic, Simon and Larkin, so we were able to match up with these players. If you look at Efes and the way they play the game, they are one of the best teams at extra passes, stretching the floor. We matched up against them and were able to control the game.”