By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite trailing by 12 points, once more Panathinaikos made things happen in the fourth quarter, getting the 87-83 win over Anadolu Efes and the 1-0 lead in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs.
Juancho Hernangomez had a night to remember with a career high of 20 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, and three steals, setting a personal best in PIR (40), which is also a club’s best for the playoffs and also a playoffs record in rebounds, surpassing Dimitris Diamantidis in PIR (34) and Stephan Lasme in rebounds (12).
Omer Yurtseven finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds, Kendrick Nunn added 14 points and five assists, Cedi Osman had 11, and Kostas Sloukas also scored 12 on the night he reached the 4.000 points milestone in the EuroLeague.
Still, in the end, it was Jerian Grant with his only made shot of the game that secured the win for Panathinaikos.
“We made some shots in the end, because that’s what champions do“, he said after the final buzzer.
Vincent Poirier led the charge for Efes with 17 points and eight rebounds, Shane Larkin added 17 points and seven rebounds, Elijah Bryant scored 14, and Derek Willis got 11.
A game of runs
Panathinaikos started the game with a 12-6 lead and pushed their advantage to seven points (17-10) after two free throws by Cedi Osman. However, at the end of the first period, Efes trimmed the lead to three points (21-18), behind 10 points by Vincent Poirier.
Still, the Greens opened the second period with a 9-2 run in the first two minutes, getting a 10-point lead (30-20) thanks to five straight points by Lorenzo Brown. The answer was an admirable 20-2 run with Efes taking the 40-32 lead after a three by Shane Larkin.
A three and a free throw by Derek Willis pushed the lead to 10 points (46-36), and the halftime score was 48-40 for Efes with Larkin missing a three at the buzzer.
A three by Darius Thompson gave Efes a 12-point advantage (55-43), and that was the start of Panathinaikos fighting back with Sloukas, Nunn, and Juancho Hernangomez, making it a two-point game (60-58).
However, Efes wasn’t rattled; they got another 10-0 run and restored the lead to 12 points with Larkin reacting (70-58).
Panathinaikos managed to trim the lead to eight (72-64) at the end of the third period and then to four (72-68) at the start of the fourth with Hernangomez scoring already 20 points.
Efes couldn’t buy a bucket, and Yurtseven tied the score for Panathinaikos (72-72) after a 12-0 run by the hosts.
The game turned into a dogfight, and with five minutes left, Osman made the score 78-76 with a three. For two minutes, nobody could score, and finally, Bryant tied it all at 78.
A sloppy ending by Efes
Wenyen Gabriel from the free-throw line put Panathinaikos up by two again (80-78), Nunn stole the ball but missed, and Larkin also missed the chance to tie the score, making one of two free throws (80-79).
Sloukas was also fouled and made two (82-79), Bryant and Willis couldn’t tie the score attempting threes, and with 51 seconds on the clock, Poirier was fouled and got to the free throw line.
He made one (82-80), and Jerian Grant with a big three sealed the deal (85-80) just 29 seconds before the final buzzer.
Juancho Hernangomez put the icing on the game with a block on Thompson in the next play, and the game was over.
Photo credit: Eurokinissi