Panathinaikos defeated Bayern by 82:75 on away court in the 33rd round of the EuroLeague, securing their 22nd win.
In this game, Pablo Laso couldn’t count on injured players Devin Booker and Andreas Obst, while Panathinaikos was complete for the first time in a long time.
The game started with a 4:0 mini-run by Dinos Mitoglou. After the guests took a lead of 8:7, the pace of the game slowed down for both teams. Serge Ibaka then made a three-pointer and was successful from the free-throw line, making it 12:8. The “Greens” struggled to find offensive continuity, but Ioannis Papapetrou hit a three-pointer, followed by Juancho Hernangomez scoring two points. Then Nick Weiller-Babb made it 18:13, which was the score at the end of the first ten minutes.
Kendrick Nunn opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, and then Sloukas made both free throws to tie the game. The Bavarians responded with two three-pointers. Another tie followed. It was truly a trench battle and a seesaw affair in Munich. The “Greens” managed to gain their first notable lead. Sloukas hit a three-pointer, and Pablo Laso’s team mainly scored from the free-throw line. The score was 40:36 in favor of the guests at halftime.
Sloukas opened the second half with points from mid-range. Carsen Edwards then made a three-pointer, followed by a score from Nunn. Both teams displayed beautiful offensive play. Nunn hit a three-pointer to give his team a five-point lead. Again, we saw the game tied. There was a slight advantage for Bayern, but Nunn hit a three-pointer to make it 58:54, the score at the end of the 30 minutes of basketball.
Once again, the three-pointer worked well for Panathinaikos. However, Bayern didn’t give up, and with a series of plays, they came back to life. Weiller-Babb took the lead again for Bayern. Sloukas then brought his team back in front. Lessort made both free throws. But the team in red didn’t give up, tying the game again with a three-pointer from Lucic. However, Grant hit a shot when needed, and Lessort added two more points for a five-point lead. Juancho Hernangomez then made what was probably the decisive three-pointer. Again, the team from Munich scored five quick points, but Nunn responded. He was the decisive factor in the end, leading Panathinaikos to triumph.
The outstanding Kendrick Nunn led the “Greens” to win with 17 points, while Juancho Hernangomez followed with 13. On the other side, Nick Weiller-Babb scored 15 points, and Serge Ibaka added 14.
In the final round, Bayern will visit Monaco, while Panathinaikos will host Alba Berlin.
BAYERN:PANATHINAIKOS 75:82 (18:13, 18:27, 18:18, 21:24)
Venue: “BMW Park”, Munich
Referees: Rocha, Latisevs, Baena
Bayern: Weiller-Babb 15, Ibaka 14, Bolmaro 11, Lucic 11, Edwards 9, Giffey 6, Bonga, 5 Francisco 2, Harris 2, Brankovic, Radoncic.
Panathinaikos: Nunn 17, Hernangomez 14, Lessort 13, Sloukas 12, Papapetrou 8, Grant 7, Mitoglou 6, Grigonis 3, Vildoza 2, Antetokounmpo.