Panathinaikos see winning streak end in Valencia
 

EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 22

Panathinaikos, who had previously won three straight in the EuroLeague, suffered a tense 94-87 defeat to Valencia in Spain.

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In their last three matches, Panathinaikos had shown plenty of attacking firepower as they defeated Bayern Munich, Zalgiris and ASVEL at home in Athens, but they were undone by poor defending as Valencia powered to a 94-87 triumph in front of their fans.

Valencia drained 14 out of 21 three-point attempts, a factor which proved decisive.

As a result of this defeat, Panathinaikos’ charge towards the leading four positions has taken a hit, with the Athenians sitting in sixth spot of the regular season with a 13-9 record. Valencia are in seventh position with 11 victories and 11 losses.

Bojan Dubljevic tallied 19 points for Valencia, while Quino Colom scored three three-pointers. For Panathinaikos, Nick Calathes enjoyed a solid night with 22 points and 10 assists, Tyrese Rice grabbed 21 points and Deshaun Thomas registered 16 points.

Next week, Valencia will travel to Barcelona, while Panathinaikos make the trip to Red Star Belgrade.

THE MATCH

Valencia scored for fun during the first two quarters.

Finding a route to the net, the hosts tallied 55 points in the first half alone, while Panathinaikos could only manage to score 45. Rick Pitino, the popular Panathinaikos boss, had previously spoken about the defensive weaknesses of this team.

A lacklustre third quarter, which Valencia won 25-19, made Panathinaikos’ task even more challenging.

Nevertheless, Panathinaikos suddenly clicked into gear during the fourth quarter, and they equalised in the 36th minute at 82-82.

Valencia, however, subsequently responded, outlasting Panathinaikos in what was a nervy end to proceedings.

HIGHLIGHTS

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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