Panathinaikos BC AKTOR claimed an away win (95-82) over Zalgiris Kaunas at Zalgirio Arena, in a matchup for Round 18 of the EuroLeague regular season. Cedi Osman led the scoring for the Greens with 22 points.

The game was evenly balanced in the opening minutes, with Panathinaikos BC AKTOR taking a 7–6 lead at 3’, before Zalgiris Kaunas moved ahead 13–9 at 5’. One minute later, the hosts extended their lead to 16–9, while at 7’ the Greens cut it to 16–13. The Lithuanian side managed to pull away to 26–17 at 9’, closing the first quarter in front 28–19.

At 11’ the margin reached double digits (30–19), however Panathinaikos BC AKTOR responded, trimming the deficit to 32–28 at 13’. The hosts stretched the lead again to 37–28 a minute later and to 40–30, while at 16’ it became 46–32. The Greens reduced the gap to 48–40 at 19’, with the first half ending at 50–40.

At 24’, Zalgiris Kaunas went up 56–42, but Panathinaikos BC AKTOR fought back, making it 58–52 at 26’ and closing in at 62–61 by 29’. The third quarter ended with the hosts narrowly ahead 64–63.
The visitors took the lead at 31’ (66–64) and built momentum, extending it to 77–68 at 33’. At 34’, Panathinaikos BC AKTOR reached a double-digit advantage (79–68), while at 36’ the score was 84–73. The Greens maintained control until the final buzzer, sealing the 92–85 victory.

Quarters: 28–19, 50–40, 64–63, 92–85.

Zalgiris Kaunas (Masiulis): Goss 17 (1), Francisco 3 (1), Wright 22, Brazdeikis, Tubelis 4, Lo 9, Sleva 5 (1), Birutis 10, Rubstavicius, Butkevicius 3 (1), Sirvydis, Ulanovas 12 (3).
Panathinaikos BC AKTOR (Ataman): Shorts 15 (2), Kalaitzakis 5 (1), Osman 22 (5), Holmes 2, Rogkavopoulos, Grant 8 (2), Nunn 21 (3), Toliopoulos, Faried 1, Hernangomez, Mitoglou 4, Yurtseven 14.

Ataman: “It was important that we made the comeback”

The head coach of Panathinaikos BC AKTOR, Ergin Ataman, spoke at the Press Conference following the away game against Zalgiris Kaunas:

“In the first half our defense was soft. They scored 50 points, but with only 4 three-pointers. Zalgiris had 17 baskets in the paint and used alley-oops. We talked about this in the locker room. We tried to protect the paint. After 25 minutes, the game was 100% under Zalgiris’ control. But then Osman scored important points, Nunn and Shorts started to score, we improved our defensive pressure and we got an important win. Because in this incredible atmosphere, to be down by 15 points after 25 minutes and make a comeback is very important for us.

There is no doubt about Shorts ability. The reality is that we didn’t have Sloukas, so he played more minutes. We need to manage the minutes properly and we will be better. There is no doubt about Shorts’ quality.

Nothing is finished yet, because on 2/1 we play the derby against Olympiacos, which is an important game. We are on the right path. Especially these two wins against Fenerbahce and Zalgiris are important. The standings are strange. 10–12 teams are separated by one win. We will fight until the end to reach the Playoffs and the fourth place, in order to have home-court advantage”.

Asked about Lessort and the possibility of his return, the coach replied: “I don’t know. The doctors are optimistic. We will see. He still needs about one more month for us to check his condition. We are optimistic”.

Regarding Grigonis and Yurtseven, he said: “After his injury (Grigonis) didn’t play. We gave him some minutes at the beginning of the season. We saw that he doesn’t have rhythm. Grigonis needs to play. But we have Osman and Rogkavopoulos. It’s difficult. The season is long, he is a good person. He is an important player for Panathinaikos BC AKTOR. He works hard. He is not on the domestic league roster. He needs to play, but I don’t know. We wanted to send him for 1–2 months to the Greek league to get minutes and then return, but he didn’t want to go. There are no minutes, that’s the problem.

We will see (about Yurtseven). Our managers are talking with his agent. We don’t want to disrupt the team. All the players know the system. He will make his decision. In the last games he has offered a lot. He is an important player. With performances like these, he can be the starting center. I hope he makes a good decision for his career”.