Panathinaikos secured the highly coveted victory they sought in Valencia, and now they are firmly in control of their qualification for the Final Four in Athens!
The Greens were superior to Valencia for most of the game, and thanks to their solid defense, they managed to curb the Spaniards' enthusiasm and take a 0-1 lead.
Game two will also be held at the Roig Arena on Thursday night (30/4, 21:45), where they aim to clinch half of their Final Four ticket.
Of course, the Greens could have achieved a much easier victory, but in the end, what matters is the win and the lead in the series.
Sloukas may have been absent, but Panathinaikos played for... him, with Nunn, Shorts, and Lessort being the best players for the Greek team, and Grigonis providing significant solutions in the first half.
- WON BECAUSE… they played a defense they hadn't… played in any other game against the Spanish team. They neutralized Valencia's players, forcing them to just 6/33 three-pointers!
- THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS WERE… Kendrick Nunn (21 pts) and TJ Shorts (12 pts, 2 ast, 2 stl).
- VALUABLE SUPPORT FROM… Mathias Lessort with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
- DEFEATED BUT… Jean Montero tried hard with 15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds.
- COULD HAVE DONE BETTER… Omari Moore, who was out of sync with the game.
Quarter scores: 15-23, 32-39, 49-54, 67-68.
Valencia - Panathinaikos 0-1
- Game 1: Valencia - Panathinaikos 67-68
- Game 2: Valencia - Panathinaikos (30/4, 21:45)
- Game 3: Panathinaikos - Valencia (6/5, 21:15)
- Game 4: Panathinaikos - Valencia (8/5, 21:15 - if necessary)
- Game 5: Valencia - Panathinaikos (12/5 or 13/5 - if necessary)