Panathinaikos fight back to even series with win in Piraeus
 

GREEK BASKET LEAGUE - FINALS (GAME 2)

Panathinaikos managed to return the favor in game two of the Greek Basket League Finals after the Trifylli edged Olympiacos in Piraeus on Thursday night…

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Panathinaikos pulled level with Olympiacos in the Greek Basket League Finals after a 71-66 win for the Trifylli at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Thursday night.

After their unbeaten run in the Basket League was snapped on Sunday thanks to Olympiacos’ series-opening win at the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall, Panathinaikos rebounded well to even the series at 1-1.

Nick Calathes led Panathinaikos’ bounceback with an 18-point performance, while the Greek international also almost tallied a double-double as he hauled-in 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Mike James showed his consistency in these playoffs with another solid performance for Panathinaikos with the American notching 17 points thanks to excellent mid-range shooting on the evening.

Olympiacos, who dominated in the fourth quarter of game one, struggled to find their scoring groove on Thursday night – particularly in the second half.

Ioannis Papapetrou notched 13 points to lead Olympiacos scorers on the night while Vassilis Spanoulis struggled from three-point range as he finished with 12 points.

Kostas Papanikolaou managed just six points on the night despite being a force on the boards with 10 rebounds – a reality that surely impacted Olympiacos after his game-changing performance on Sunday.

Both sides managed to score at will in the first quarter as the teams combined for 52 first quarter points as Panathinaikos grabbed a slimed 27-25 lead after the first frame.

Olympiacos fought back in the second quarter to carve out a lead by halftime as the Erythrolefki used an 18-13 run in the second frame to grab a 43-40 lead at the interval.

Olympiacos’ offense seemingly disappeared in the third quarter as Panathinaikos began to shore up its defense in the second half. A 16-7 run by the visitors frustrated the home crowd as Panathinaikos pulled level before taking a 56-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Olympiacos tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, but again failed to unlock Panathinaikos’ watertight defense as the Trifylli held on for a narrow win to claw back level in the series.

Both sides will look to take the series lead when the Finals continue on Sunday with game three of the series taking place back at Panathinaikos’ home court at the OAKA.

HIGHLIGHTS: OLYMPIACOS - PANATHINAIKOS

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: sportfm.gr

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