Panathinaikos survive Aris scare to stay unbeaten
GREEK BASKET LEAGUE - ROUND 15
| Panathinaikos | 85 - 65 | Aris |
|---|---|---|
| (22 - 14) (51 - 34) (60 - 59) (85 - 65) |
Panathinaikos flirted with disaster against Aris on Monday but a dominant fourth quarter performance helped the Trifylli preserve their perfect record in the Greek Basket League…
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Panathinaikos survived a third quarter scare en route to a dominant 85-65 win over Aris in the Greek Basket League on Monday night.
The Trifylli surrendered a double-digit lead in the third quarter after Aris put together a surprising 25-9 run in the frame to cut the deficit to just one-point heading into the final frame.
A refocused Panathinaikos stormed back in the final frame as Panathinaikos pulled-off a lopsided stretch of their own as Rick Pitino’s men closed out the game with a 25-6 stretch to secure their 14th straight win.
Nick Calathes led the way for Panathinaikos with 18 points on the night while also adding 10 assists for his first double-double since the opening fixture of the season.
Adreian Payne, who made his season debut for Panathinaikos, notched 11 points off the bench since returning to the club just two weeks ago while James Gist added a further 12 points.
Ramon Harris finished as Aris’ lone scorer to reach double figures as the American posted 11 points, while Boris Dallo added 9 points as Aris stumbled to their first defeat of 2019.
The win puts Panathinaikos back on the heels of Olympiacos for top spot in the Basket League, though the Trifylli do still have a game in hand on their archrivals.
Panathinaikos will shift their focus back to their flailing EuroLeague playoff hopes with a home encounter against Anadolu Efes on Friday before returning to domestic duty with a road trip to Lavrio on Monday.
Aris, meanwhile, will look to revive their domestic playoff push next weekend when the Thessaloniki outfit return home to face Panionios on Saturday.
