Although it seemed they were playing at home, although they had brought the game to their pace, and although they controlled the match for 31 minutes, the continuation was destined to be catastrophic for Panathinaikos.
In the last 8 minutes, they collapsed, conceding a partial score of 23-8, and the 69-80 became... 92-88, which began to move away the prospect of a top-six finish and direct participation in the Playoffs.
Kendrick Nunn may have improved his performance in the 3rd quarter, but in the last minute, he missed three crucial shots when the game was tied and Panathinaikos was down by 2, missing an opportunity for his team. And all this at a time when everything was running like clockwork for the "Greens," with Juancho and Sloukas primarily carrying the Greek team.
However, in the end, everything turned upside down, with Bryant finding allies in Blaylock (mainly) and Odiase to turn the game around and for Panathinaikos to lose an almost... won game.
Quarter scores: 20-21, 44-48, 66-75, 92-88.
- WON BECAUSE... Hapoel reacted in the crucial quarter, disarming Panathinaikos offensively and defensively.
- THE DIFFERENCE WAS MADE BY... Antonio Blaylock with 19 points and 4/9 three-pointers.
- WORTHY SUPPORTERS WERE... Elijah Bryant with 18 points and Vasilije Micić with 14 points.
- COULD HAVE DONE BETTER... Mathias Lessort, who collected many fouls early and was limited, and Kendrick Nunn, who... broke down at the end with 5 missed shots in 2:47.
- DEFEATED BUT... A leading performance by Kostas Sloukas with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists.
- WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST ROUND: Panathinaikos had won 93-82 at home.