By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid prevailed over Panathinaikos OPAP Athens on the road with a 74-73 victory that was decided in the last second by the incredible Rudy Fernandez.
Panathinaikos had a strong start in the game with a partial 32-14 record in the first period, though soon the visitors bounced back in the second half and even managed to even the score with Walter Tavares at 71 points with a minute to go. While the hosts’ Keith Langford put them ahead, Rudy had the final say in the game, handing the victory to Real with a big three-pointer.
“We stayed mentally tough until the last shot. In the end, it’s hard to say, but the last shot decided a game that was better for Panathinaikos. Knowing the situation of my team, I’m very happy that everybody played until the last second”, commented Pablo Laso in his post-game quotes.
Fernandez posted an overall of 13 points and along with Tavares’ big double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds, they helped Real improve to a 22-7 record.
Panathinaikos, on the other hand, will have to wait a little longer to see if its playoffs dream is still alive, provided they beat Buducnost in the final round of the regular season.
Real has already secured a spot in the playoffs as well as the homecourt advantage so this victory served more as a morale booster.
“In my locker room, one player will say ‘I want Milano‘. Another one will say ‘Panathinaikos’. I just want my team to perform well”, added Laso when asked about his preference of opponent in the playoffs.