Panathinaikos AKTOR defeated Anadolu Efes 81-77 in Istanbul in Game 3 of the EuroLeague Playoffs series, taking a 2-1 lead in wins. Top scorer for the Greens was Kendrick Nunn, who finished with 25 points.

The game was balanced in its early stages, with Panathinaikos AKTOR leading 7-3 at the 2nd minute and the Turkish team closing the gap to 9-8 in the next. The hosts went ahead 13-9 by the 4th minute, but by the 7th minute, the Greens had closed in at 15-14, and by the 8th minute, the score was tied at 18-18. The first quarter ended with Anadolu Efes leading 23-20, but by the 13th minute, Panathinaikos had taken a 27-25 lead.

The hosts briefly regained the lead at 31-29 the next minute, but Panathinaikos took control again at 37-31 by the 16th minute. The Greens pulled ahead 41-34 at the 18th and closed the half leading 45-39. At the 22nd minute, the Greens reached a double-digit lead (49-39) and made it 54-44 by the 24th. Midway through the third quarter, Panathinaikos extended the lead to 57-46 and 59-46 at the 27th. Anadolu Efes managed to cut it to 63-54 at the end of the quarter and then to 63-59 by the 32nd.

At the 33rd minute, the gap was down to a single shot (61-63), and by the 34th, it was down to one point (64-65). The hosts tied it at 68-68 in the 36th minute. From that point on, the teams traded baskets, with the Greens pulling ahead 79-74 with 7 seconds left and sealing the win at 81-77, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Quarter scores: 23-20, 39-45, 54-63, 77-81

Ataman: “It was a great game, Mitoglou stepped up”

Ergin Ataman spoke during the press conference after Panathinaikos AKTOR’s victory over Anadolu Efes, analyzing everything that led to the positive result.

The Greens’ coach began by saying: “I think once again it was a great game. In the first half, especially in the second quarter, we started to play good defense, and with Sloukas on the court, our offense began to work much better. We scored a lot, took control, and regained our confidence. In the third quarter, we continued in the same way. Anadolu Efes always plays more aggressively on Nunn, but he managed to move the ball and we found perimeter shots, especially with Mitoglou. We controlled the game up until the fourth quarter, which resembled the one in Athens where Efes won. They started pressing, we made mistakes, gave up offensive rebounds. We allowed second-chance points through Dozier and Bryant, and we put the game at risk. In the end, with Nunn, we found scoring and then secured the win. It’s just 2-1, the series continues. Anadolu Efes is a great team, and we’ll keep fighting to win one more game.”

Regarding the performance of Dinos Mitoglou and whether he finally made the “step up” Ataman had previously called for, he said: “Yes. Now I can say that Juancho needs to step up. Today he finished the game with 0 points, but he fought hard. They played very aggressively on Nunn, so we had to find shots from other players. Today, Mitoglou made those shots. We missed shots with Grant and Sloukas, who shot 1 for 6 and 1 for 5 respectively. Mitoglou did his job well.”

On Kendrick Nunn’s performance: “He’s a great player. I think today he found the solution against Anadolu Efes’ aggressive defense. He realized they were doubling or tripling him. He moved the ball very well, dished out many assists, and in crucial moments attacked the basket and scored 25 points.”

Finally, he concluded with what Panathinaikos BC AKTOR needs to do to win Game 4: “We have to fight, continue playing good defense. Tonight, I believe we played excellent defense up until the last quarter. We must keep playing the same way. It won’t be easy. The 2-1 lead is a small advantage for us.”