Panathinaikos defeated Barcelona at the OAKA Arena by 89:81 in the EuroLeague Round 31.
At the very beginning, we witnessed extremely motivated players on both teams, resulting in seven lead changes. After Barcelona’s 7:0 run, led by Jan Vesely sinking his first three-pointer of the season, the visitors took the lead at 17:11. Barcelona continued to play better, maintaining their lead, while Mathias Lessort‘s impressive dunk attempted to rally his teammates. Kendrick Nunn‘s three-point shots brought Panathinaikos back to an equal score, trailing 23:20 after the first 10 minutes of play.
Thanks to excellent defense and fantastic three-point shooting percentages, Barcelona went on a 16-0 run. Players like Alex Abrines, Ricky Rubio, and Nicolas Laprovittola were hitting shots, giving the Spanish team a significant 40:24 lead. Then Ergin Ataman stepped in, seemingly rightfully reacting to an apparent refereeing mistake. The referees ruled that his team had returned the ball to their own half during the attack organization, denying him the chance to challenge the decision. Panathinaikos trailed 46-34 at halftime.
The Athens team opened the second half much better, and with the help of the crowd in the stands, they created a 10:4 run, narrowing the deficit to single digits. This greatly boosted their confidence, leading Kostas Sloukas and Mathias Lessort to bring Panathinaikos within just one point (54:53). At that moment, they went on a 9:1 run to take the lead for the first time in a long while. However, Barcelona led 61:60 going into the decisive quarter.
Despite the guests gaining a four-point lead with Abrines’ new three-pointer, the home team responded with a barrage of shots, leading to an 11:4 run. Roger Grimau called a timeout with Panathinaikos leading 73:68. Nunn and Sloukas played impressively at this point, and Konstantinos Mitoglou deserves mention for another outstanding performance. The American guard created one of the highlights of this EuroLeague season by dropping Jabari Parker to the floor. With just under three minutes remaining, they reached a double-digit lead by 83:73.
MATHIAS LESSORT! 😱#paobc #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/MmXX0S62On
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) March 22, 2024