By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Without Derrick Williams due to morning sickness, and with Dwayne Bacon, Nate Walters, and Matt Thomas out of the team, Panathinaikos Athens grabbed a lead at the start of the semifinal series of the Greek playoffs, with a crushing 101-57 win over Peristeri.
The team of Christos Serelis was highly effective in attack, with many solutions, appeared dominant in defense, and had no difficulty in achieving the first of the three victories required to qualify for the finals of the Basket League. Panathinaikos was hungry from the start, while the visitors never got into the rhythm of the match and gave up at halftime.
Paris Lee led the winning side with 16 points, while Marius Grigonis added 14 with six assists and four rebounds. Mateusz Ponitka had similar stats to the Lithuanian, with just a point less.
Arturas Gudaitis with 12 points and Elefterios Bochoridis with 11 points also got to double digits.
Out of tune, Peristeri had only two players worth mentioning, Sylvain Francisco who scored 15 points, and Ian Hummer with 10.
Olympiacos also grabbed a 1-0 lead in the other semifinal series with a convincing win over PAOK.
Basket League, Semifinals Game 1:
Olympiacos – PAOK 83-65
Panathinaikos – Peristeri 101-57