The reigning EuroLeague MVP beat the buzzer with a game-winning jumper
Nunn’s heroics break the curse as Panathinaikos grabs long-awaited win in Vitoria
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 3 of 38
Regular Season
Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizBKN
8486
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
Overview
l
l
l
w
l
w
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was aware that it would not have it easy on the road at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. In fact, the last time the Greens had escaped with a victory from the Basque Country was back in 2017, when reigning MVP Kendrick Nunn was still in college and three-time EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman had just arrived at Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
Baskonia had recorded seven straight victories against the Greens, who struggled every time they visited Vitoria. In one of the most memorable games between the two sides over the last few years, Codi Miller-McIntyre pulled up from just inside the arc with the score at 73-73 and nailed a buzzer-beating jumper to stun the Greek side.
Less than two years later, Panathinaikos would give Baskonia a taste of its own medicine thanks to the hands of a red-hot Nunn. The 30-year-old guard netted 7 of the Greens' 20 points in the first quarter, with the visitors securing a 36-42 lead heading into the second half.
Baskonia hit the ground running in the third and took its first and only lead of the game (43-42) thanks to an early 7-0 run. Enter Nunn, who nailed 9 straight points at the other end to restore a 49-60 cushion.
When everything indicated that Panathinaikos would be able to see out the game, Baskonia brought back ghosts from the past in the closing stages. An 11-2 surge saw the hosts tie the game up at 84-84 with 4 seconds remaining. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Unsurprisingly, it was Nunn who received the ball from Jerian Grant’s inbound pass. Aware that all he needed was a two-point bucket, the Panathinaikos star found his spot and pulled up from just inside the rainbow, released the ball with two Baskonia players hanging on him and beat the buzzer to clinch the dub for the guests.
“Four seconds left is a lot of time,” Nunn told EuroLeague TV after the game. “Just give me space and I’ll get a shot up.”
Baskonia may have headed into Thursday’s clash on the back of three straight victories across all competitions, but it showed fighting spirit until the very last buzzer, looking desperate to grab its first win this season. It took another extraordinary performance by Nunn, who demonstrated his never-say-die attitude to down the hosts. He made 12-of-20 field goals, ending the game with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 assist. Now, that is how you break a curse.
“It’s tough to win here,” Juancho Hernangomez told EuroLeague TV in his post-game comments. “They are a great team. We hadn’t won [here] in a lot of years.”
The Panathinaikos forward rode his momentum by completing a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards, less than a week after scoring 27 against FC Barcelona. Nunn and Juancho were assisted by Cedi Osman, who netted 20, meaning that the three men combined for 65 of Panathinaikos’s 86 points on the night.
Having scored in double digits in each of Panathinaikos’s first three games of the season, Nunn has hit the ground running as he aims to pull off another MVP season. After netting 21 and grabbing 10 boards to inspire his team to an 87-79 victory in the Greens' season opener against FC Bayern Munich, he delivered another clutch moment to seal their second victory of the campaign.
With the 2026 Final Four set to take place at Panathinaikos’s home arena in late May, Nunn proved on Thursday night that he’s locked in. Not even a long-standing curse can stand in his way.
