Black and whites falter in the end
The third quarter started well for the hosts. James Nunnally was precise, followed by a slam dunk from P. J. Dozier after a stolen ball, giving Partizan a four-point lead. This scoreline lasted for a while as Obradovic’s team failed to capitalize on the opponent’s lapses in play. Naturally, a quality team like Panathinaikos seized the opportunity, introducing complete uncertainty into the match. Even after Konstantinos Mitoglou’s shot with the buzzer, Ergin Ataman’s team was one step ahead of the opponent heading into the last 10 minutes.
Mathias Lessort continued his dominance in the paint, and after his points, the guests led by six. Soon, Panathinaikos extended the lead to double digits after Kendrick Nunn’s dunk, putting Partizan in a very challenging position in the final minutes. With a 5-0 run, the black and whites ensured that the guest didn’t easily finish the game. Not even Jerian Grant’s incredible three-pointer hindered the black and white team from reducing the deficit to just two points with two minutes left in the game. The same player tied the score, then had a chance to score the winning basket but lost the ball.
On the other side, Grigonis didn’t manage to take a shot, meaning the game would go into overtime. In it, Dozier’s reactions gave the black and whites the lead. Then, Punter took responsibility and, with a mid-range shot, brought, as it turned out, an insurmountable six-point lead for Obradovic’s team. Later, the combination of Punter-LeDay crushed the last hope of the opponents, and the captain of Belgrade confirmed the triumph from the free-throw line.
PARTIZAN – PANATHINAIKOS 92:87 (20:21, 19:17, 15:18, 24:22, 14:9)
Venue: “Stark arena”, Beograd; Referees: Mogulkoc, Latisevc, Aliaga.
Partizan: Vukcevic 2, LeDay 23, Avramovic 5, Punter 13, Smailagic 7, Jaramaz, Nunnally 7, Andjusic 2, Dozier 16, Ponitka, Kaminsky 5, Caboclo 12.
Panathinaikos: Kalaitzakis, Vildoza, Guy, Balcerowski 7, Sloukas 6, Grant 14, Nunn 19, Lessort 16, Antetokounmpo, Grigonis 12, Mitoglou 13, Mantzoukas.