By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Opening the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament 2025 in Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, Panathinaikos Aktor overpowered Partizan Mozzart Bet, 91-82.
Lasting 33 minutes in the exhibition, Kendrick Nunn tallied game-highs in 21 points and eight assists. Omer Yurtseven followed with a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double, Nikos Rogkavopoulos chipped in ten points, while Juancho Hernangomez and Jerian Grant finished with nine points apiece, and Alexandros Samodurov with eight points. On the wrong end, Duane Washington Jr. went for 19 points with 6/11 field goals, including five triples, Jabari Parker scored 18 points, Dylan Osetkowski added 16 points, and Sterling Brown had 13 points.
The Greens trailed for 22 minutes before storming back in the third period and peaking at an 11-point separation. Between injuries and necessary rest, Marius Grigonis, Richaun Holmes, Mathias Lessort, Cedi Osman, and T.J. Shorts II were unavailable for head coach Ergin Ataman, besides Kostas Sloukas and Ioannis Kouzeloglou staying on the bench. On the opposite side, Isaac Bonga, Tyrique Jones, Mario Nakic, Frank Ntilikina, and Aleksej Pokusevski were out for the team coached by Zeljko Obradovic on Thursday.
Moving to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for a second showing in the seventh annual Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament on Sunday, Panathinaikos and Partizan will face NBL teams, Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings, respectively.
Preseason preparations for the teams based in Athens and Belgrade are focused on the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season, starting on September 30 with FC Bayern Munich visiting Telekom Center Athens and Partizan at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.
As part of these preseason tune-ups, CSKA Moscow faced Dubai in a close contest at the UAE team’s home court, edging them 98–97. Džanan Musa led Jurica Golemac’s side with 21 points, followed by Dwayne Bacon with 18, McKinley Wright with 15, Mfiondu Kabengele with 11, and Justin Anderson with 10.
For the winning team, Anton Astapkovich scored 20 points, while Melo Trimble added 17.