By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops
A crazy finish to Game 3 of a best-of-five series between Panathinaikos Aktor and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was met by an official protest by the Greens.
Following the buzzer at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Tuesday, the Greek club challenged the result, arguing that referees should have awarded possession after an initial goaltending call was waved off instead of setting up a jump ball between Josh Nebo and Mathias Lessort with 15.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the score tied. Nebo previously stepped out of bounds with 55 seconds on the clock was the second part of the protest.
Among the two calls made by the referees assigned to Game 3 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series, Sreten Radovic, Emin Mogulkoc, and Luka Kardum, the basket interference was reviewed. After overturning the call and ruling a block of Lessort on Lorenzo Brown, they immediately decided to resume action with a jump ball.
With Nebo winning the jump ball, the Yellows kept possession. Brown sinking a couple of free throws with 2.6 seconds left broke an 83-83 tie, handing the Israeli champions a 2-1 lead in series. With limited room for a reaction on the opposite end of the court, Kendrick Nunn missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
BREAKING: Panathinaikos officially protests the result for not getting the ball after the decision about Lessort’s block on Brown
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 30, 2024
Keeping the battle for a Final Four berth in Belgrade, Game 4 is on Thursday. A similar reaction to a home loss in Game 1 by Panathinaikos would force Game 5 in OAKA Altion next Wednesday.