By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Five players scored in double figures for Panathinaikos that beat Bayern Munich 87-75 on the road to make the two out of two in the second double-game week of the EuroLeague regular season, following the win over Zalgiris in Kaunas.
DeShaun Thomas dropped 14 points, Tyrese Rice had 13 points and five assists, Nick Calathes posted 12 points, seven rebounds, Ioannis Papapetrou scored 11 and Jimmer Fredette 10 points for Panathinaikos that improved to 5-5 by registering its second straight victory.
“We kept our composure. We made a little adjustment, switched the defense a bit. And we played hard,” Thoma said. “Everybody had great minutes. We just played like it was the last game. And we executed on offense. Once we get stops on defense, we can do anything on offense, and that was the key. We locked in defensively, switched and got hands on the ball, and got the job done.”
Paul Zipser scored 23 points while Greg Monroe had 15 points and eight boards for Bayern dropped to 4-6. The Bavarian side was leading 19 – 10 in the first period until Panathinaikos began recovering to ultimately dominate the match.
The “Greens” closed halftime up 35 – 36 and came out of the locker room in a rather ferocious fashion to take a 19-point lead, 41 – 60, near the end of the third period. Bayern, that was coming off a comeback win over Olympiacos Piraeus two days ago, couldn’t turn this one around.
One superb defensive effort and fan support
Panathinaikos fans were loud in the arena (also making an impression to Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey) and interim head coach Giorgos Vovoras was pleased that the “Greens” gave them a win.
“I’m happy for the players, for these great fans we had here supporting us for 40 minutes,” Vovoras said. “As we said inside the locker room, the key was our defense. For 30 minutes, I think we played great defense. And if you want to win away, it’s the only way. We must continue like this.”
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball