The Panathinaikos guard netted 27 points in a Game 4 win at Maccabi
Kendrick Nunn is the 'best scorer in the EuroLeague' for a reason
Big-time players rise to the challenge in big-time games, and Kendrick Nunn showed once again that he is a big-time player with a massive performance to keep Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens alive in the hunt to make the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.
With the team’s back against the wall facing a road elimination game, Nunn produced one of his best performances of the season to help Panathinaikos defeat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 88-95 on the road in Game 4 to set up a decisive Game 5 at OAKA next week.
The 28-year-old fought through foul trouble and scored 27 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists in nearly 33 minutes on the floor.
“We threw a blow, they threw a blow. And that is how the game went all night,” Nunn, who was one point off his career high of 28 points, said to EuroLeague TV. “It was a tough match, but we came out victorious. We had some big stops late in the game that got us the victory.”
'The best scorer in the EuroLeague'
Nunn’s performance came after he poured in 25 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in Panathinaikos’s 85-83 road loss in Game 3.
And the American guard also impressed his backcourt mate Kostas Sloukas.
“Kendrick scored some incredibly difficult shots. He is the best scorer right now in the EuroLeague, and he showed that tonight,” said Sloukas, who added 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the victory.
Nunn, who played 212 NBA games over three seasons, has emerged into a dynamic threat on offense. And he is one of the biggest reasons Panathinaikos fans are dreaming of going back to the Final Four for the first time since 2012.
But it was only the fight of a unified team that kept Panathinaikos alive.
“It was a hell of an effort from our team, fighting like that with our backs against the wall. We have one more game, Game 5 back in OAKA,” Nunn added. “It’s not going to be easy. Maccabi is a hell of a team. They play well together, and we have to play together as well. One more game to go to the Final Four. We just have to stay together.”
That togetherness will be key in Game 5, but the Greens will certainly be turning to Nunn once again. After all, he’s a big-time player who is ready for the big games.