Panathinaikos make short work of PAOK at OAKA
BASKET LEAGUE - ROUND 17
Panathinaikos had far too much power for PAOK in the Basket League regular season, cruising to an emphatic 117-79 triumph at the OAKA Indoor Hall.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
Unbeaten in all competitions since early January, Panathinaikos came into this game with plenty of confidence, and Rick Pitino’s men subsequently produced a ruthless attacking performance to comfortably defeat struggling PAOK in Athens. PAOK, in stark contrast, have lost four out of their last five games across all tournaments.
Boasting a 15-2 record, Panathinaikos continue to lead the Basket League standings, while PAOK are down in joint last place with only five wins in 17 matches.
Andrew Rautins, making only his second appearance in the Basket League, impressed by draining seven out of eight three-point attempts. The experienced 33-year-old earned an overall tally of 21 points, two assists and two rebounds.
Konstantinos Mitoglou (17 points) and Tyrese Rice (15 points) also caught the eye for Panathinaikos.
Despite the defeat, Adam Smith enjoyed a productive night for PAOK, registering 25 points.
In their next Basket League game, Panathinaikos will face Aris in Thessaloniki, while PAOK host Kolossos Rodou.
THE MATCH
To their credit, PAOK kept it close during the first period at the OAKA, only losing it by five minutes as they scored 21 points.
In the second period, the Dikefalos tou Vorra also scored 21 points, but Panathinaikos’ attack was beginning to motor as the Prasini tallied 28 points of their own.
The third quarter well and truly ended the match as a contest.
Dominating proceedings, Panathinaikos outscored PAOK 32-11, and they then scored 31 points in the fourth period to coast to victory.
Panathinaikos scored 63.6% of their three-point shots in comparison to PAOK’s conversion rate of 33.3%.
