Crvena zvezda basketball players were defeated in Athens by Panathinaikos in the 32nd round of the EuroLeague. The Greek team celebrated after a big comeback in the final quarter, 82:74 (20:27, 21:21, 14:14, 32:12).
We witnessed truly excellent, hard-fought basketball in Athens at the “OAKA” arena. Both teams took the court aware that they needed a win, and that pressure did not hold them back at all. Quite the opposite, we saw a basket-for-basket game, defense where everyone was diving for the ball, and uncertainty until the very end.
Zvezda had a large number of second-chance opportunities from offensive rebounds in this game, which they used very well. That ultimately helped them stand out and go into halftime with a seven-point lead against Panathinaikos.
Ergin Ataman was furious as usual, and Panathinaikos fans were also extremely loud at times, but even that atmosphere did not disturb Zvezda much. This was especially evident early on, when the red-and-whites were almost constantly in the lead.
After a brief opening advantage for Panathinaikos, Zvezda managed to find their rhythm and, thanks to Bolomboy and also Butler, who hit two important three-pointers at the end of the first quarter, took a +7 lead – 27:20.
Zvezda was at times very close to a double-digit lead, but Panathinaikos somehow always found a way back. The Greens did not manage to tie the game at any point in the second quarter, as Nwora and even Ognjen Dobrić found points when it mattered most.
With a basket by Miller-McIntyre at the buzzer at the end of the first half, Zvezda went into the break with the same +7 from the end of the first quarter.
It is quite incredible that after the third quarter the gap was still seven points for Zvezda, as that period also ended in a draw. Zvezda once again played very well in this quarter, even leading by 12 points, but a poor final minute allowed Panathinaikos to come back to life.
Zvezda’s players failed to score during that stretch, while Nunn and Rogkavopoulos gave the Greens some “breathing room.” That set up a fierce battle in the final quarter of the game.
In no time, Panathinaikos cut the deficit to just two points, after Kendrick Nunn and Nigel Hayes-Davis caught fire. After a three-pointer by the latter, Saša Obradović had to call a timeout.
Kendrick Nunn literally caught fire in those moments, hitting some crucial shots, and after a three-pointer by Hernangómez with three minutes to go, the Greens had a four-point lead. By the end, the hosts only increased their advantage, making it a convincing victory.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Foto: EuroLeague / Panagiotis Moschandreou