Panathinaikos AKTOR – Anadolu Efes Istanbul 87-83

Panathinaikos AKTOR prevailed at home against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (87-83), taking the first step toward qualifying for the EuroLeague Final Four. Juancho Hernangómez was the top scorer of the night with 20 points and also tied the all-time EuroLeague playoffs record for rebounds with 16.

The game was balanced in the early minutes, with Panathinaikos AKTOR taking the lead (7-6 at 3′) and extending it to +7 (17-10 at 7′) during the first quarter. The Greens maintained the upper hand until the end of the period (21-18). At the start of the second quarter, the lead stretched to +10 (30-20 at 12′), before Anadolu Efes Istanbul responded with a run of their own to turn the game around (32-40 at 17′). The first half ended with Panathinaikos trailing by 8 (40-48).

After returning from the locker room, Panathinaikos AKTOR cut the deficit in half (51-55 at 25′), but Anadolu Efes capitalized on transition plays to pull ahead again, finishing the third quarter with an 8-point lead (64-72).

The fourth quarter began with a spectacular comeback by the Greens, flipping the script and taking the lead (78-76) with three minutes remaining in the game. From that point on, the game was on a knife’s edge, but Panathinaikos AKTOR held on until the end, sealing the victory in Game 1 of the series with a massive three-pointer from Jerian Grant with 30.6 seconds to go.

QUARTERS: 21-18, 40-48, 64-72, 87-83.
PANATHINAIKOS AKTOR (Ataman): Kalaitzakis 2, Brown 5 (1), Sloukas 13 (1), Osman 11 (2), Grant 3 (1), Nunn 15 (3), Gabriel 2, Hernangómez 20 (2), Mitoglou 2, Yurtseven 14.
ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL (Banchi): Larkin 17 (3), Nwora 3 (1), Bryant 14, Smits 3 (1), Thompson 8 (2), Dozier 8, Poirier 17, Osmani, Oturu 2, Willis 11 (2).

Ataman: “The game started and ended in a strange way”

Ergin Ataman commented on the elements that helped Panathinaikos AKTOR overturn the deficit in the final quarter and claim the home victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of the series.

Here’s what he said in detail:

“Interesting things are happening—we’re starting to copy FIBA rules in the EuroLeague. In FIBA games, players attend the press conference, so what’s going on? We’re starting to copy FIBA rules, but it’s fine.

The game started in a strange way and ended in a strange way. Even this press conference feels strange. I don’t have much to say about the game—you saw everything yourselves. I don’t want to say more. I don’t want to be the sponsor again. What I want to say to my friend, Luca Banchi, is that I hate people who smile to your face and then do things behind your back to make themselves look good. Luca, you can ask the players you worked with for six years at Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Ask them if I ever once, during any training session, used a camera to record another team’s practice. Why didn’t you practice at OAKA, and instead went to Olympiacos’ gym? What was the reason? I spent five or six years at Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Ask Shane Larkin and Elijah Bryant if I ever showed them anything from a camera. If they tell you that I did, then tomorrow morning I will resign and stop working as a coach. Go practice in Piraeus again.

On Panathinaikos AKTOR’s defense in Game 1: “I’m not satisfied with the defense we played, especially in the second quarter. Just like in the previous game, though, we played aggressive defense in the final period and made progress thanks to that.”

On Juancho Hernangómez: “Juancho had a tremendous performance tonight—he stayed on the court for 39 minutes. What he did is very good for us. At the same time, though, it limited Dinos Mitoglou’s minutes. I hope he recovers and gets some rest. Congratulations on his performance and the win.”