Unstoppable Rice fires Panathinaikos to thrilling derby win
 

EUROLEAGUE REGULAR SEASON - ROUND 12

Tyrese Rice produced a stunning performance in the Eternal Derby, firing Panathinaikos to a scintillating 99-93 overtime victory against Olympiacos at home in the EuroLeague regular season.

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Basketball doesn’t get better than that. In a game full of passion, tension and jaw-dropping shots, Panathinaikos outlasted bitter rivals Olympiacos at the OAKA Indoor Hall, emerging victorious by a six-point margin after overtime. Giorgos Papagiannis had taken the duel to the extra frame when equalising for Rick Pitino’s troops in the dying seconds of regulation time.

Rice, 32, enjoyed one of the best nights of his entire career. Draining eight three-pointers, the American was simply unplayable in Athens, tallying a grand total of 41 points for the reigning Greek champions.

Brandon Paul, registering 17 points overall, scored five three-point shots for a gutsy Olympiacos side which was incredibly close to earning a memorable victory at the OAKA.

Sixth-placed Panathinaikos improve to an 8-4 record in the EuroLeague regular season. Olympiacos, for their part, are down in ninth position with five wins and seven defeats.

Panathinaikos travel to Barcelona next week, while Kestutis Kemzura’s Olympiacos also make the trip to Spain as they face Real Madrid.

THE MATCH

Nikola Milutinov, who achieved yet another impressive double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, got the party started with an emphatic dunk.

In what was a scrappy, nervy opening quarter, Panathinaikos struggled to find top gear, as Olympiacos appeared to control the pace of the game. Wade Baldwin scored a tricky lay-up in the early stages of the second period:

Nevertheless, Panathinaikos rapidly got into their groove in the second frame, increasing the pressure on Olympiacos as the noise level inside the arena continued to rise. Rice finished off the half with a brilliant buzzer-beater:

Leading by seven, the Athenians were really starting to motor, but defiant Olympiacos managed to gradually calm the tempo. Baldwin hit the target in the final second of the third quarter to haul Olympiacos to within two points of Panathinaikos.

Paul subsequently converted a fantastic three-point shot in the first play of the fourth quarter to give Olympiacos the lead.

Vassilis Spanoulis later scored a tough attempt from behind the arc as the game transformed into a pure three-point shootout.

Olympiacos were closing in on a precious victory, but after the Erythrolefki coughed up possession of the ball, Papagiannis equalised at close range with three seconds left on the clock. Nick Calathes (14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) then missed a chance to win it on the buzzer in a breathless finish.

Feeding off the support of a rocking OAKA, Panathinaikos proved to be the stronger team in overtime, suffocating the Olympiacos attack with compact, aggressive defensive play.

HIGHLIGHTS

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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