Panathinaikos surrender big lead in Israel
 

EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 15

Panathinaikos boasted a large lead against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, but the Greeks contrived to fall apart and concede a 88-79 defeat on matchday 15 of the EuroLeague regular season.

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A stunning opening quarter, in which Panathinaikos outscored their opponents by six points, looked to have set the Prasini on their way to an important victory. However, Maccabi Tel Aviv came roaring back, winning the second and fourth quarters by large margins to emerge victorious.

Scottie Wilbekin took a leading role for Maccabi with 23 points and four three-pointers.

As for Panathinaikos, Deshaun Thomas was on fire, registering 24 points. Nick Calathes, however, once again went 0/4 from the three-point line as he tallied eight points, four assists and three rebounds.

Next week, Panathinaikos host Real Madrid in Athens, while Maccabi travel to Anadolu Efes.

THE MATCH

Rick Pitino couldn’t have asked for more in the first period.

Immediately dictating the pace of the game, Panathinaikos produced a fantastic first-quarter performance, winning it 29-13. Jacob Wiley hammered home a thunderous dunk with five seconds remaining before the first mini break.

Wiley subsequently extended the advantage to 18 points at the start of the second frame, connecting with a superb pass from Tyrese Rice.

Unfortunately for Panathinaikos, it was all downhill after that, as the Maccabi revival rapidly gathered pace.

As the game progressed, Maccabi fully moved into the driver’s seat, and a Wilbekin’s wonderful three-point effort from downtown put the Israelis up by seven with four minutes remaining after they had fought extremely hard to get back on level terms.

A blow from which Panathinaikos never recovered.

HIGHLIGHTS

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: SDNA.gr

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