Panathinaikos fall short against Khimki in Russia
EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 5
Panathinaikos suffered their third defeat of the EuroLeague regular season on Tuesday, conceding a disappointing 103-86 loss to Khimki in Russia.
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Inconsistency is costing the Prasini. Despite displaying plenty of potential, Panathinaikos cannot string two consecutive victories together, as they followed their win at Zenit Saint Petersburg up with a bitter loss to fellow Russian side Khimki in Mytishchi. The Athenians held a slender five-point lead after the first two quarters, but they fell away in the second half as Khimki stormed to a 103-86 triumph. Khimki improve to a 4-1 record, while Panathinaikos stand at 2-3.
Nick Calathes tallied a double-double for Panathinaikos with 10 points and 11 assists. Seven of those assists were dished out in the first quarter.
Jimmer Fredette was the leading Panathinaikos scorer at the Arena Mytishchi with 16 points. Alexei Shved shone for Khimki with 26 points, and teammate Jeremy Evans achieved a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Panathinaikos next play Anadolu Efes in Athens on Thursday. Khimki travel to Red Star Belgrade.
THE MATCH
The key to defeat for Panathinaikos was the lack of rebounding; Khimki grabbed 45 rebounds compared to the Greeks’ 23. Khimki also hit 15 three-pointers as they were deadly from behind the arc.
Making a positive start to the game, Panathinaikos earned a four-point advantage in the first quarter, as Jacob Wiley thumped an emphatic dunk in on the buzzer.
Panathinaikos extended that advantage to five in the second frame. However, in the third quarter, Khimki gradually began to control the match as Shved and former Olympiacos player Janis Timma ran the show. Timma finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Khimki showed all of their attacking power to score 27 and 26 points respectively in the last two quarters, claiming their fourth win of the campaign.
