Davies and offensive rebounding lifted Milan to victory
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan carved out a tough 78-76 home win over Panathinaikos Athens largely thanks to superiority in the paint, where the Italian team’s big man Brandon Davies turned out to be the decisive factor.
Having come off the bench in the second quarter, Davis contributed with a huge performance as he netted 16 points, nailing 8 of 11 shots from the floor with the visiting defense unable to contain him.
In total, Milan racked up 40 rebounds including 14 offensive boards, while Panathinaikos managed 28 and a mere 6 of them were offensive. It was a game of few free throws, with Milan netting 4 of 5 while the visitors hit 10 of 13.
However, the foul line also made for a fine margin as Nicolo Melli sank a pair of free throws with 11.6 remaining to give Milan the win, as Dwayne Bacon missed a tough shot in the closing seconds in an effort to force overtime.
Both teams were solid from two-point range (Milan 25 of 41, Panathinaikos 21 of 31), but neither shined from beyond the arc, with Milan hitting 8 of 26 while the visitors sank 8 of 30.
They were also on an even keel in terms of assists and turnovers and the other thin line that separated the rivals was drawn by Shabazz Napier, who scored 8 successive points down the stretch in the second half to finish on 16 – his EuroLeague career high after joining Milan last month.