Διπλό χαρακτήρα - κατάταξης

Μεγάλο ντέρμπι εξελίχθηκε στο Κάουνας ανάμεσα στον Παναθηναϊκό και τη Ζαλγκίρις. Οι πράσινοι τελικά κατάφεραν να επικρατήσουν των Λιθουανών με 75-72 σε ένα φινάλε με ωραίες μπασκετικά εναλλαγές συναισθημάτων. 

Ο Παναθηναϊκός στάθηκε τυχερός αφού δεν του στοίχισαν τα λάθη στα οποία υπέπεσε στο τέλος του αγώνα. Λάθος του Φελντέιν που χάνει την κατοχή στα 56"' πριν τη λήξη στο 71-72. Στη συνέχεια,  ο Πότσιους αστοχεί για τρεις, ο Παναθηναϊκός χάνει το αμυντικό ριμπάουντ, αλλά φανταστική άμυνα του Γκιστ δε δίνει σκορ για τους Λιθουανούς. Πάνε σε φάουλ σκοπιμότητας οι Λιθουανοί (με εντολή assistant Ζάρας) και ο Φελντέιν ευστοχεί 2/2 βολές, "διορθώνοντας" το προηγούμενο λάθος του.

Με το σκορ στο 72-75 και με 13" να απομένουν, ο Τζόρτζεβιτς ζητάει φάουλ για να μην πάνε οι Λιθουανοί σε προσπάθεια τριών πόντων. Όπερ και εγένετο, ο Λεκαβίτσιους που κέρδισε το φάουλ βάζει την πρώτη (72-74) αλλά χάνει τη δεύτερη και ακόμα ένα λάθος για τους Πράσινους που χάνουν το ριμπάουντ (και πάλι), αλλά ο MVP - δαιμόνιος Καλάθης βάζει σωστά το χέρι του και κλέβει την μπάλα, δίνοντας κατοχή για τον Παναθηναϊκό. Φάουλ στο Διαμαντίδη, χάνει την πρώτη βολή, ευστοχεί στη δεύτερη (72-75) και εκεί στην τελευταία κατοχή της Ζαλκίρις γίνεται το πιο μεγάλο λάθος στην άμυνα του Παναθηναϊκού.

Φελντέιν και Φώτσης δε συνεννοούνται σωστά στα μαρκαρίσματα και ο Μότουμ βγαίνει εντελώς αμαρκάριστος από τη γωνία και εκτελεί για τρεις, με προοπτική να στείλει το ματς στην παράταση. Ευτυχώς για τους πράσινους δεν ευστοχεί ο Αυστραλός και ο Παναθηναϊκός παίρνει σημαντική νίκη στο Κάουνας. Το τελικό 72-75 ήρθε δίκαια χάρη στη μεγάλη εμφάνιση του 4ου δεκαλέπτου.

Μαέστρος και εκτελεστής για ακόμα μια φορά ο Καλάθης με μεστή εμφάνιση. Φελντέιν και Πάβλοβιτς (10 ρ.) οι παίκτες που συμπλήρωσαν την 3άδα των παικτών με διψήφιο αριθμό πόντων. Πολύ καλός αμυντικά ο Γκιστ. Δεν άνοιξε πολύ το rotation ο Τζόρτζεβιτς.

Με σκορ 6-4 ο Παναθηναϊκός προκρίνεται ως 3ος στον Όμιλο Ε' στο Top-16. Οι αντίπαλοι του (για την ώρα) διαμορφώνονται ως εξής:

Α1 Φενερμπαχτσέ
Β2 Λαμποράλ/Εφές
C3 Παναθηναϊκός
D4 Νταρουσάφακα
C1 Μπαρτσελόνα/Λοκομοτίβ
D2 Μάλαγα/ΤΣΣΚΑ
A3 Ερ. Αστέρας/Μπάγερν
B4 Τσεντεβίτα

Official Euroleague Report

Panathinaikos edges Zalgiris, finishes third in Group C

Panathinaikos Athens finished third in Group C by downing Zalgiris Kaunas 71-74 in the Lithuanian capital on Thursday. Panathinaikos was third with a 6-4 record, while Zalgiris was fourth at 5-5. Both teams had already qualified to the Top 16 before this game. James Feldeine and Nick Calathes led the winners with 14 points. Sasha Pavlovic added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Panathinaikos. Olivier Hanlan led Zalgiris with 19 points. Paulius Jankunas added 13 and 11 rebounds for the hosts. Ognjen Kuzmic and Calathes shined early to give Panathinaikos a 16-21. Hanlan rescued Zalgiris and got help from Edgaras Ulanovas and Ian Vougioukas to give the hosts a 36-34 edge at halftime. A wild midcourt shot by Mantas Kalnietis boosted Zalgiris's margin to 58-52 after 30 minutes. A three-pointer by Hanlan gave Zalgiris its last lead, 67-66. Feldeine stepped up in crunch time and a free throw by Dimitris Diamantidis gave Panathinaikos a 72-75 edge with 6 seconds left. Zalgiris found Brock Motum wide open in the left corner, but his shot hit the rim.

First quarter: Calathes, Panathinaikos strike first

Sasha Pavlovic got Panathinaikos going with a six-meter jumper and Ognjen Kuzmic added a put-back slam before Ian Vougioukas stepped up with a jump hook to get the hosts on the board. Pavlovic added to the lead with free throws. Panathinaikos excelled on defense, forcing Zalgiris to take off-balance three-point shots late in several possessions. Vougioukas fed Paulius Jankunas for a layup, but James Feldeine answered with a driving basket and soon added a three-pointer that prompted a Zalgiris timeout at 4-11. Marty Pocius shined with a driving layup, but Nick Calathes scored in penetration and Miroslav Raduljica gave the guests a 7-14 edge. After Jankunas hit his trademark triple from the top of the key, Calathes answered with a one-handed jumper in the lane. Free throws by Edgaras Ulanovas kept Zalgiris within 12-16. Raduljica sank a jump hook, but Jankunas downed a turnaround jumper and Olivier Hanlan brought the hosts within 16-18. A corner triple by Antonis Fotsis boosted the Greens' lead to 16-21 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Hanlan puts Zalgiris ahead

Hanlan took over with a wild driving layup early in the quarter, which Pavlovic matched with a two-handed slam. Panathinaikos kept powering the offensive glass - 6 in 13 minutes - but shots did not fall in now. Meanwhile, a layup by Mantas Kalnietis and a fast break basket by Hanlan forced the guests to call timeout at 22-23. A put-back layup by Vougioukas completed Zalgiris's comeback. Hanlan swished a mid-range jumper, but Pavlovic and Calathes made free throws and James Gist added a dunk before Zalgiris stopped the game at 26-28. Vougioukas downed a running hook, but Gist continued to push Panathinaikos with an alley-oop slam and Raduljica restored a 28-31 edge. After Jankunas shined with a tip-in, Raduljica, Hanlan and Nikos Pappas split free throws. A wild three-point play by Ulanovas put Zalgiris back ahead, 34-33. After a free throw by Gist tied it, a driving layup by Hanlan fixed the halftime score at 36-34.

Third quarter: Kalnietis ignites everyone

Calathes struck from downtown immediately after the break and a layup by Kuzmic gave Panathinaikos a 36-39 lead. Zalgiris found a go-to guy in Lukas Lekavicius, who buried a corner triple and added a wild driving basket that put his team back ahead, 41-39. Kuzmic scored again and soon added a tip-in to restore a 41-43 Panathinaikos margin. Pocius scored in penetration and banked in a close shot to provide another lead change, 45-43. After Pocius made free throws, Calathes beat the shot clock with an off-balance jumper. A three-pointer by Lekavicius boosted the hosts' lead to 49-45. A dunk by Jankunas soon forced Panathinaikos to call a much-needed timeout at 51-45. Calathes rescued the Greens with a bomb from downtown and a free throw by Jankovic brought his team within 51-49. Jankovic scored in penetration, but Hanlan nailed a stop-and-pop jumper and a close basket by Brock Motum gave Zalgiris a 55-51 lead. Raduljica split free throws but Kalnietis beat the third quarter buzzer with a midcourt shot that ignited the crowd at 58-52.

Fourth quarter: Panathinaikos improves its defense and wins

Both teams struggled to score early in the quarter until Diamantidis, who had been scoreless until this point, struck from downtown. Hanlan found Robertas Javtokas for an alley-oop layup but Feldeine matched it with a close basket to close the gap to 3. Fotsis downed a triple in transition, which resulted in Zalgiris calling timeout at 60-60. Feldeine took over with a fast break slam that Hanlan matched with a six-meter jumper. After Pavlovic buried a catch-and-shoot jumper, Vougioukas scored in traffic. Free throws by Diamantidis gave the Greens a 64-66 edge with over four minutes left. Hanlan took over with a big three-pointer, but Feldeine immediately answered from downtown. Jankunas scored again, but Pavlovic buried a corner triple. A free throw by Hanlan made it 70-72. Vougioukas split free throws and Feldeine drew a foul with 13.1 seconds left. He made both free throw attempts and Diamantidis hit 12 with 6.3 seconds to go. Zalgiris managed to put the ball in the hands of Motum with plenty of space to shoot from downtown, but he missed.

Ζαλγκίρις - Παναθηναϊκός 76 - 70

Official Euroleague Report

Milaknis buries big shots as Zalgiris claims 100th Euroleague win

Zalgiris Kaunas held on late to beat Panathinaikos Athens 76-70 for the club’s 100th Euroleague victory this century. Zalgiris improved to 4-6 and fifth place in Top 16 Group E, while Panathinaikos remains in fourth at 5-5. The hosts led by as many as 14 early in the third quarter, but Nikos Pappas led the Greens all the way back. The score was tied on three occasions in the fourth quarter and Pappas gave the visitors a slim lead, but Arturas Milaknis buried back-to-back threes to put his team up 70-66 with three minutes to go and the Lithuanian champs held on the rest of the way. Will Cherry paced the Zalgiris attack with 18 points, Paulius Jankunas added 14, James Anderson 13 and Milaknis 12 – all on threes. Pappas paced Panathinaikos with 21 points, Vlantimir Giankovits added 11 and Esteban Batista finished with 10.

First quarter: Defensive stand helps hosts to early lead

There seemed to be a lid on the rim early as neither team scored for two-and-a-half minutes until Jankunas broke the ice with a jump shot. Cherry added a three-pointer before Dimitris Diamantidis found a cutting Batista for a slam and the visitors’ first points. Jankunas banked in a shot to make it 7-2. Giankovits and A.J. Slaughter went hard to the basket to bring the Greens within 1. After a TV timeout, Anderson buried a three. Batista scored in transition and Jankunas matched him to make it 12-8. Batista muscled his way to another bucket before Robertas Javtokas scored inside for the hosts. Milaknis completed a four-shot minute-long possession with a three-pointer. Nikos Pappas also hit from downtown to make it 17-13.

Second quarter: Cherry carries Zalgiris to double-digit advantage

Anderson kept the hosts in charge after he grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul and sank 2 shots. Pappas went through the Zalgiris defense for a layup, but Lukas Lekavicius answered with a long pull-up jumper. Panathinaikos closed to within 21-18 on a Pappas layup and DeMarcus Nelson free throw. Siim-Sander Vene recorded a layup-plus-foul thanks to a great pass from Darius Songaila. Nelson picked up a steal and lobbed a pass to Gani Lawal for a monster slam. Edgaras Ulanovas drilled an open triple to set a 28-20 advantage midway through the quarter. Cherry scored and Anderson dunked on the break for a 12-point lead. Antonis Fotsis stopped the bleeding with the triple, but Cherry responded with a pair of triples sandwiched around a Batista bucket inside. Batista added another slam and reached 10 individual points. Jankunas and Diamantidis each split free throws to end the half at 39-28.

Third quarter: Pappas rescues Greens from 14-point deficit

Milaknis sank a three to give the hosts their biggest lead yet, 42-28, but Giankovits responded with back-to-back threes. Zalgiris used a timeout, but the momentum had shifted. James Gist fought his way to a layup and Pappas sank a triple. Gist scored again to cap a 0-13 run. Cherry scored a tough layup in the paint – and the free throw that came within it – and then Javtokas scored in the paint to restore a 6-point cushion. Diamantidis scored his first basket only to see Jankunas knock down an open three. Pappas responded with a pair of threes to get within a single point. Vene’s basket was matched by Loukas Mavrokefalides. Then Pappas split free throws to tie the score at 52-52. The stalemate remained for over a minute - Giankovits missed twice from the line – as both teams missed shots. Mavrokefalides gave Panathinaikos its first lead with a three, but Anderson’s triple tied it at 55-55.

Fourth quarter: Milaknis buries the big shots

Songaila’s second chance basket and a Vene jumper were both matched by Gist to keep the score tied. Anderson was fouled by Giankovits – his fourth – shooting a three and made the resulting 3 shots for a 62-59 Zalgiris edge. Mavrokefalides drove for a tough layup, which Jankunas countered with a jump shot. Giankovits buried a three from the top of the key to make it 64-64 with five minutes remaining. Pappas gave the Greens a slim lead again, but a Milaknis three on the shot-clock buzzer brought the crowd to its feet at 67-66. Milaknis’s fourth three of the night came with three minutes left and put the difference at 4. Diamantidis and Cherry traded layups. Milaknis fouled out with 1:27 remaining. Cherry added free throws for a 6-point edge with 39 seconds to go. Nelson missed twice from the line with 25 seconds left, but Ulanovas missed 2 too. Pappas drove for a layup with 15 seconds remaining. Giankovits fouled out and Jankunas all but iced the game with the resulting free throws with 14.4 seconds to go.