Struggling Panathinaikos slump to fourth defeat in five
EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 25
Panathinaikos slipped to their fourth defeat in five EuroLeague matches, as Real Madrid claimed an emphatic 96-78 victory in Spain.
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The away blues have well and truly returned for Panathinaikos. Since defeating CSKA Moscow in early January, Panathinaikos have failed to win on the road in the EuroLeague, with the Athenians conceding their fourth consecutive away defeat on Monday evening to Real Madrid. Panathinaikos had also lost their last match to Barcelona at the OAKA Indoor Hall last week.
Panathinaikos, sitting in a rather precarious sixth position of the EuroLeague regular season, hold a 14-12 record. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are in second place with 20 wins and six defeats on the board.
Nick Calathes was the leading Panathinaikos scorer with 13 points. Walter Tavares (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Facundo Campazzo (14 points, 10 assists) both shone for the hosts.
Next week, Real Madrid will face Olimpia Milano away from home, while Panathinaikos do battle against bitter rivals Olympiacos in Piraeus.
THE MATCH
Calathes got the ball rolling with a quick three-pointer. However, after he had opened the scoring, Real Madrid subsequently went on a 17-4 run to immediately take the initiative in the game.
Nevertheless, Panathinaikos did conjure up a response in the second period, closing the gap to seven points by taking the quarter 25-21.
Panathinaikos reduced the deficit to five points at the start of the third frame. Midway through the quarter, the Prasini were only three points behind Real as the pendulum began to swing, however Real finished the period on top to put themselves in a good position.
The Spaniards then completely controlled the fourth period to eventually ease to victory.
