Panathinaikos depart Barcelona with first defeat in five
EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 13
Panathinaikos’ four-game winning streak in the EuroLeague ended on Friday evening, as Barcelona defeated their Greek visitors 98-86 in the 13th round of the regular season.
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Previously, Panathinaikos had won all four matches against Zalgiris, Bayern Munich, Baskonia and Olympiacos since the sacking of Argyris Pedoulakis, but the Athenians suffered their maiden defeat under the leadership of Rick Pitino as Barcelona emerged victorious at home.
Panathinaikos currently occupy sixth place of the EuroLeague regular season with eight wins in 13 games. Barcelona, on the other hand, are in third position with 10 victories and only three defeats.
Malcolm Delaney, who picked up a grand total of 17 points, drained five out of eight three-point attempts for the hosts. Nikola Mirotic took a leading role with 23 points.
Nick Calathes tallied a double-double for Panathinaikos with 13 points and 13 assists. Jimmer Fredette (19), Deshaun Thomas (12), Ioannis Papapetrou (10) and Tyrese Rice (10) also reached double figures in terms of points for the Greek giants.
Panathinaikos will aim to get back to winning ways when hosting Fenerbahce in Athens next week, while Barcelona host ASVEL.
THE MATCH
In an entertaining first period, Panathinaikos kept within touching distance of their high-flying Spanish opponents, only losing the quarter by five points.
It was much of the same in the second period as Barcelona clinched it 27-24.
Requiring a comeback, Panathinaikos made an improvement in the third frame, and at one point they only trailed Barcelona by two points. Ian Vougioukas converted a two-pointer in the dying seconds to keep Panathinaikos in touch.
At times, the Prasini did threaten a comeback in the fourth period, but Barcelona bossed the concluding stages of the game and successfully saw it out to claim a 12-point victory.
Calathes provided one of the match’ most memorable moments in the fourth quarter, as he dished out a superb pass for an emphatic Giorgos Papagiannis dunk:
