In the fourth round of the Greek championship, Aris defeated their city rival AEK 75-64 at home, securing their third win. On the other hand, AEK suffered their third loss.
Before this game, it was clear that Aris relied on strong defense, while AEK was a team that emphasized offensive play. The question was which team would impose their style of play.
After a relatively efficient first quarter, the second quarter was played at the pace of the home team. It ended with a score of 9-9, and the first half concluded with the home team leading 31-24.
Scoring remained a challenge in the second half, and the home team maintained the lead they had gained in the first part of the game. AEK’s players struggled to respond effectively to Aris’ excellent defense in the “Nikos Galis” arena, and they couldn’t seriously threaten their opponents throughout the game.
Aris was led to victory by Vassilis Toliopoulos, who scored 19 points, followed closely by Kris Bankston with one point less, and Roberto Gallinat contributed with 14 points.
For the visitors, Jordan McRae scored 17 points, Justin Tillman added 10 points, and the former Partizan player, Giannis Kouzeloglou, had six points and 12 rebounds.