Changing the head coach has failed to bear fruit instantly for Panathinaikos Athens, with Christos Serelis tasting defeat in his EuroLeague debut after taking over from Dejan Radonjic last week. 

Coach Serelis came up short in his Panathinaikos debut

Changing the head coach has failed to bear fruit instantly for Panathinaikos Athens, with Christos Serelis tasting defeat in his EuroLeague debut after taking over from Dejan Radonjic last week.

Radonjic parted ways with the club after a crushing 81-65 defeat to archrivals Olympiacos Piraeus in the Greek Cup semifinal, which came on the back of some narrow losses in the EuroLeague where the Greens have failed to live up to their fans’ expectations.

Panathinaikos, which has now lost four in a row in Europe’s premier club competition, has relied heavily on the trio of Derrick Williams, Dwayne Bacon and Paris Lee, with the supporting cast not delivering enought, except perhaps for big man Arturas Gudaitis, who missed the game in Milan through injury.

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Of just as much concern is the apparent lack of energy, with Panathinaikos looking like a team short of confidence when the chips are down. Serelis made it clear his priority was to root out apathy if the former EuroLeague champion is to return to winning ways.

"Panathinaikos is a winning team, we refuse to lose, so the mentality has to be to win every game. The mentality is the most important thing for my team," Serelis told reporters at the post-game press conference. "We asked the players to react because we are not in a good situation the last two months. It’s a new beginning for us and we have to start winning games."

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A largely static offense that doesn’t move the ball quickly enough has been the team’s glaring problem and Serelis concurred this is where immediate improvement was needed, with Panathinaikos among the worst offensive teams in the competition.

"I want more from my team. I asked for more than 20 assists per game, so offensively our biggest problem is that we are unable to find enough open looks," he said. "We have to find the extra pass and that’s one thing we have to work on, the other is that we have to work on a lot of things defensively."

With Bacon again struggling from long range - he only made 1 of 7 three-pointers against Milan, Derrick Williams carried Panahtinaikos's effort but he looked devoid of energy in the second half, having finished on 21 points after netting 17 in the first half. Still, he drew praise from Serelis.

"Derrick played very well today, he helped us a lot in both positions, 4 and 5. I tried to talk to all the players since I got here two days ago and he realized that he has to step up and help the team because he is one of the best players in his position in Europe."

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Panathinaikos Athens (2023-02-23T19:30:00.000Z)

Lorenzo Brown enjoyed another great night against FC Bayern Munich as his team defeated the recently crowned German Cup champs 90-72 in Round 25. 

Brown boosted Maccabi in his return

Lorenzo Brown enjoyed another great night against FC Bayern Munich as his team defeated the recently crowned German Cup champs 90-72 in Round 25. In the previous meeting between these two teams, on December 2, Brown signed off on career-highs in points (36) and PIR (43) but his team couldn’t celebrate the victory. This time, things were different, as Maccabi prevailed 90-82 with another great performance by Brown, who finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 33. 

"We didn’t stop Lorenzo Brown in the last quarter. That was the thing," admitted Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri after the game. "We were ahead for three quarters and a half, and then Lorenzo Brown makes some tough shots, while we made mistakes on defense."

Brown stepped up when his team needed him most, providing 11 points in the last period, including key three-pointers and contested two-pointers that switched the momentum in favor of Maccabi. Moreover, he didn’t appear to lack rhythm after missing the last four Euroleague games due to injury. In that period, Maccabi had lost three of them, including a painful home loss against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in the previous round. 

“\[Coming back like this\] feels amazing," Lorenzo confessed. "The most important thing is that we got the win. It was a great game on both ends. They made us work, and we have to appreciate that."

Brown boosted Maccabi on his return

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Bayern Munich (2023-02-23T19:05:00.000Z)

Maccabi improved its shooting, rebounding to rally against Bayern

Allowing 17 offensive rebounds in three quarters can be synonymous to a clear defeat in such a demanding competition like the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Also, if you add poor shooting, going for 1-of-7 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes, only few would bet on a win. Those were the number Maccabi had against FC Bayern Munich, and those were the reasons why Maccabi trailed by 11 points, 39-50, early in the third period, and 61-67 entering the fourth.

But the Yellows reacted in style and solved those problems in the last 10 minutes. First, they stepped up in defense to secure their boards, allowing Bayern just 2 offensive boards but zero second-chance points, after getting 17 and 22, respectively, in the previous 3 periods. And, on the offensive end, Maccabi improved its shooting in the second half, hitting 6 times from behind the arc in just 14 attempts (42.8%), much better than it shot in the first (14%).

"I’m very happy we found the way to turn this game over to get a win," Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash said in the press conference. "The main thing is that we can’t worry about missing shots, like we had in the first half, but we can control about using fouls, one-on-one defense, boxing out, etc., all those things that make you be consistent. We've got to step up on those things to be able to win in the future."

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis:

"For us, and for Turkey, unfortunately, it was a very emotional moment and very devastating news that we have witnessed. So many people have lost their lives, their properties. As a club, we have showed our social face besides the sports face. In our micro world, we have to continue life and try to become better, but each and every individual knows what he has to do to help the society and the Turkish people that have suffered. We showed that from our president, and I hope there won’t be any more devastating news anywhere in the world. Regarding the game, we witnessed a great game. I need to congratulate my team. We were composed enough, and took a double-digit margin. But Partizan was hustling, they were killing us, crashing the boards. We couldn’t manage that and they had 14 offensive boards. But with 14 three-pointers on the road, and my guards spreading the floor and reading the situation, we were reading the pressure they would apply all the time, we found a way to score. Partizan took certain risks, we created spot shots. It’s an amazing atmosphere always in this arena. It pushed each and every one to give their best. So congratulations to my team and good luck to Partizan.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In his post-game interview today, <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> head coach Itoudis gave an emotional tribute to the people of Turkey 🙏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/pLsgGEMpQH">pic.twitter.com/pLsgGEMpQH</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1628883148598837248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Partizan Mozzart Bet head coach Zeljko Obradovic:

"A tough game decided by small details. I’m very proud of my players, they gave everything. It was an important game like every game in EuroLeague, We have more games in front of us and we will continue to try to fight until the end."

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard Marko Guduric:

"It feels great. This is our first official game after a long time and I didn’t know what to expect because we didn’t have games and we were trying to stay in shape. But I have to say we did a great job. Offensively we shared the ball and were focused, and it feels good in my homeland to get a win against a very hot team, a team that is playing great this year especially lately with these great fans. It’s a really important win for us. \[After the earthquake\] for a week nobody talked about basketball. As we all know a lot of people died including my ex-teammates. It was not easy to see them suffer, but life I guess has to continue. So I just pray for everybody out there."

### Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward Dyshawn Pierre:

"Feeling good. For our team it was very important and for the fans, the people back home. Basketball is important for our team but it’s not the main thing right now. So we’re happy we could win and bring a little bit of light."

Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce: 'A very emotional moment'

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-02-23T20:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul claimed a vital road win, 94-97, over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in a thriller at Stark Arena on Thursday. 

Fenerbahce powers to key road win at Partizan, 94-97

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul claimed a vital road win, 94-97, over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in a thriller at Stark Arena on Thursday. Fenerbahce improved to 15-9 and now holds a two-game lead over Partizan (13-12), as well as the head-to-head tiebreak advantage.

Partizan started strong but a 0-11 run in the second quarter allowed Fenerbahce to take charge, 27-37. Partizan soon recovered and it stayed extremely close the rest of the way, with multiple lead changes until Fenerbahce controlled the final stages. Marko Guduric starred with 25 points and 7 assists, aided by Dyshawn Pierre (21), Scottie Wilbekin (15) and Johnathan Motley (14). Kevin Punter top scored for Partizan with 25 points but fouled out near the end. Mathias Lessort recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

Yam Madar and Ioannis Papapetrou both scored twice early for a 12-5 Partizan lead, but 10 points from Motley and 7 for Pierre tied it up after 10 minutes, 22-22. 

Guduric hit a pair of three-pointers in a 0-11 run to make it 25-33, and two baskets from Carsen Edwards kept the lead at 30-39. Triples from Madar and Punter pulled Partizan closer, and it was 46-47 at halftime. 

Two baskets from Alen Smailagic sent the hosts ahead, and Punter’s three-point play made it 62-57. Lessort combined 4 points with a big block, and it was 69-68 with 10 minutes left. 

Punter and Wilbekin both scored 7 fast points for a 78-78 tie, before Guduric and Pierre triples made it 82-88. Two more scores from Guduric protected the lead, and Partizan couldn’t fight back.


EA7 Emporio Armani Milan celebrated a fourth successive EuroLeague win with a 78-76 home victory over Panathinaikos Athens, handing the Greens' new head coach Christos Serelis a tough loss in his EuroLeague debut. 

Milan holds on to beat Panathinaikos 78-76

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan celebrated a fourth successive EuroLeague win with a 78-76 home victory over Panathinaikos Athens, handing the Greens' new head coach Christos Serelis a tough loss in his EuroLeague debut. Center Brandon Davies came off the bench to produce a superb individual performance with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor to lead the winners. Shabazz Napier also netted 16 points, having sank 4 of 6 three-pointers, Nicolo Melli chipped in with 14 points -including the game-winning free throws - and 7 rebounds while Stefano Tonut scored 11.

Derrick Williams paced Panathinaikos with a game-high 21 points, but he netted only 4 in the second half. Dwayne Bacon scored 14 points, having made only 1 of 7 three-pointers, while Paris Lee added 13 points and 6 assists for the visitors. Georgios Papagiannis had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Milan improved to 9-15 and kept alive its hopes of making the playoffs while Panathinaikos dropped to 8-17.

With Serelis demanding a reaction from his players after taking over from Dejan Radonjic last week, Panathinaikos came out full of intent and purpose to lead 13-8 lead in the first quarter before the hosts managed to slash their deficit down to 20-21 at the end of the opening period.

Napier, playing his third game for Milan after joining the Italian side last month, was instrumental in the first quarter alongside Melli, while Davies and Tonut took over in the second. Davies provided a counterweight to Papagiannis at both ends in the paint while Tonut was lethal from mid-range, keeping Milan in the driving seat as Williams shined for the visitors on offense. It was 40-39 at halftime.

 Milan kept nosing ahead in the third quarter and with Williams subdued, Panathinaikos found it tough to find the right rhythm in offense although it managed to stay in touch thanks to solid defense and some efficient set plays.

Down the stretch in the fourth quarter, Davies tormented his markers in the paint with his physicality and the ability to finish at the rim, as Milan gained a seemingly unassailable 76-70 lead in the closing stages. However, the game went down to the wire after the Greens scored 6 unanswered points, forcing a dramatic climax. Melli was ice-cool from the foul line on the home team’s last possession and after a timeout, Bacon came up short with a tough baseline jumper in the dying seconds, sending the vocal home fans into raptures.

Live Blog: Thursday, Round 25


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Thursday Blog: Fener wins in Belgrade; others protect home courts

Real Madrid v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-02-23T19:45:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv bounced back from its last home loss and defeated visiting FC Bayern Munich 90-82 at Menora Mitavchin Arena on Thursday night. 

Maccabi rallies past Bayern 90-82

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv bounced back from its last home loss and defeated visiting FC Bayern Munich 90-82 at Menora Mitavchin Arena on Thursday night. The visitors were in control with a 39-50 lead early in the third quarter, but Maccabi used a strong last period, led by Lorenzo Brown and Bonzie Colson, to outscore its opponent 29-15 and grab the victory. The Yellows improved to 13-12 and remain in the fight for a playoff spot, while Bayern slipped to 9-16 after its fourth loss in a row.

Lorenzo Brown led all scorers with 27 points plus 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 33. Wade Balwin followed with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks and Bonzie Colson tallied 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Corey Walden paced Bayern with 19 points in less than 23 minutes, with Andreas Obst, Niels Giffey and Cassius Winston escorting him with 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Neither Maccabi nor Bayern were able to take the reins in the first period. Every action by each team was immediately responded by the other, which turned into several ties and a 18-18 score after 10 minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Giffey and DJ Seeley and a three-point play by Othello Hunter granted the visitors a 21-27 advantage that Bayern maintained thanks to a significant dominance on the offensive board. Maccabi’s firs triple of the night got it as close as 28-29 midway through the second period, but three-pointers by Winston and Walden aborted the rally, and Bayern managed to keep a 39-44 edge at halftime using the free-throws coming from the foul bonus. 

Things got worse for Maccabi after the break, as an early 0-6 run extended the margin to double-digits, 39-50. Baldwin and Brown came to the rescue and provided 2 triples each to keep the Yellows alive, 57-59. Bayern didn’t panic, though, and used offensive rebounding and the free-throw line to retain a 61-67 edge entering the last stanza. 

Maccabi found its momentum quite early in the fourth, sparking a 7-0 run that returned the lead to the home side, 68-67, for the first time since the first quarter. Colson and Brown teamed up and started to score in a regular way, as Maccabi managed to improve its rebounding performance on both ends. Even though Obst tied it, 74-74, with 6 minutes remaining, Maccabi had already found its momentum. Baldwin joined Brown on the perimeter to give the last push to his team, setting a 87-82 score entering the last minute to put the game to bed.

Real Madrid recorded its fourth consecutive victory in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by thrashing Zalgiris Kaunas 96-69 in Round 25 at Wizink Center in the Spanish capital. Real improved to 17-7 in the standings to rank second overall. Zalgiris dropped to 13-12 and is 4-8 on the road this season.

Dzanan Musa led the winners with 17 points off the bench. Walter Tavares added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Gabriel Deck and Nigel Williams-Goss each scored 12 while Vincent Poirier had 11 for Real, which finished the game with 23 assists and 12 turnovers. Ignas Brazdeikis led Zalgiris with 16 points.

Isaiah Taylor and Rolands Smits each struck from downtown to give Zalgiris an early 2-6 lead. Deck and Williams-Goss rescued Real and Tavares's alley-oop slam put *Los Blancos* in charge, 13-11. Zalgiris found a go-to guy in Tomas Dimsa, who got help from Brazdeikis and Laurynas Birutis to help Zalgiris to a 20-24 lead after 10 minutes. 

Mario Hezonja scored twice early in the second quarter and fed Poirier for an alley-oop slam. Guerschon Yabusele soon boosted his team's margin to 34-27. Poirier, Yabusele and Musa each dunked to make it 45-30. Bradzeikis kept Zalgiris within 53-38 at halftime.

Deck had 4 points in a 6-0 run that made it 59-38, soon after the break. Real kept running its offense through Tavares, who scored four times in the paint, including an uncontested dunk, to break the game open at 72-45. Little changed after that, as Real kept a 76-52 margin at the end of the third quarter and did not find much trouble adding an important home victory.