Panathinaikos hold on to beat Zalgiris at OAKA
EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 20
Panathinaikos claimed another important victory in the EuroLeague regular season, beating Zalgiris Kaunas 96-94 in an exciting battle at the OAKA Indoor Hall.
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Having defeated Bayern Munich in Athens on Wednesday, Panathinaikos had confidence for this game against an improving Zalgiris side, and the Greeks held on in a nervy final minute to defeat their Lithuanian opponents by two points at the OAKA. As a result of this win, the reigning Greek champions enhance their firm grip on sixth spot of the EuroLeague regular season standings, but Zalgiris languish in 16th place with six wins from 20 games.
Once again, the talismanic Nick Calathes played a big role in the Panathinaikos victory, achieving another impressive double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Tyrese Rice (20 points), Deshaun Thomas (16 points) and Giorgos Papagiannis (13 points) also caught the eye with productive displays.
Lukas Lekavicius, who used to play for Panathinaikos, grabbed 16 points and four assists for the Lithuanians.
Next week, Panathinaikos will look to continue gaining momentum when hosting ASVEL, while Zalgiris welcome ALBA Berlin to Kaunas.
THE MATCH
Initially, it was Zalgiris who came flying out of the blocks, claiming the first quarter by a score of 27-18 to immediately put themselves in a great position in the Greek capital.
Panathinaikos, however, gradually chipped away at the Zalgiris advantage, winning the second period 28-22 before moving ahead by edging the third 25-17.
The Prasini continued to control the game for the majority of the fourth quarter. However, in the final moments, Zalgiris applied pressure on Panathinaikos, and they were within two points with seven seconds remaining. Panathinaikos, however, did hold on to get across the winning line.
