Ergin Ataman and Juancho Hernangomez spoke shortly before Panathinaikos BC AKTOR departed for Belgrade, where they will face Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (05/02, 21:30) as part of Round 27 of the EuroLeague regular season.

The coach initially stated: “Partizan is always a big team that deserves respect in every game. It will be another important match for us, as we will try to get a road win in order to continue improving our position in the standings.”

From his side, Hernangomez noted: “We are focused on tomorrow’s game. Partizan lost an important game to Maccabi yesterday, where they actually played better. It will be a tough game. We are going there to fight and to get the win. The key for us is defense. They play at home, with their fans, and they have talented players. They can score at any moment, so we have to be aggressive defensively and stay together in a difficult environment.”

Regarding what he said to Grant after his game-winning basket against Real Madrid, he commented: “He deserved it. I took the ball and gave it to him to score. I trust him a lot. For me, he is family. We have ups and downs during the season—he missed the shot against Maccabi, but that’s life. It has its ups and downs. People hating too much. We need love to overcome everything. He deserved it. It was a big and important win. We needed it, and Telekom Center Athens was on fire, but now we focus on the next game.”