Panathinaikos and Maccabi faced off in a tournament in Rhodes, and the standout player of the match was the French center Mathias Lessort. The Athens “Greens” emerged victorious with a score of 89:77.
It’s worth mentioning that Luca Vildoza did not play in this game due to an injury. The Argentine basketball player injured his right ankle, but the MRI showed that it wasn’t a severe injury. However, he will entirely skip the tournament in Rhodes as a precautionary measure before the start of the new season.
In the early stages of the match, the team led by coach Ergin Ataman built a double-digit lead. Maccabi failed to pose a serious threat throughout the game, so Panathinaikos deservedly secured the victory in the end.
Mathias Lessort ended up as the top scorer in his team with an impressive 22 points. He was followed by another former Partizan player, Ioannis Papapetrou, who scored 12 points, and Dinos Mitoglou with 11 points.
For Maccabi, Lorenzo Brown was the leading scorer with 14 points, and newcomer Javiel Rivero contributed 13 points.
A highlight of the match was a dunk that showcased the synergy between Kostas Sloukas and Lessort, indicating their potential as a strong duo in the upcoming season. Having a veteran Greek point guard like Sloukas is undoubtedly beneficial, and it’s crucial for Lessort to have a playmaker with whom he can effectively collaborate. Their two-on-two plays and quick execution in pick-and-roll situations could become one of their strongest assets, and Sloukas will certainly help Lessort continue his good form from the previous season into his time with Panathinaikos.
Kostas Sloukas π€π€Mathias Lessort
— EuroLeague France π«π· (@EuroLeagueFr) September 17, 2023
On devrait en voir un paquet dβautres actions de ce genre cette saison π₯π«π· @ThiasLsf
πΊ @action24tv #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/GC4NBrGwTI
Upcoming challenges
In the week ahead, after the tournament in Rhodes, Panathinaikos will host three EuroLeague teams. Efes, Munich’s Bayern, and Partizan will be traveling to Greece.
The German team recently won the Magenta Cup by defeating Crvena zvezda in a thrilling final. Partizan will be participating in the upcoming days in the ABA League Super Cup before heading to Athens.