Energy and hustle fuel a second-half surge as Greens rediscover winning ways
Richaun Holmes shines as Greens bounce back against Virtus
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 21 of 38
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
8471
Virtus BolognaVIR
Overview
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens snapped a two-game skid by defeating Virtus Bologna 84-71 on Thursday night in the Greek capital. Heading into the duel, the Greens were desperate to regain momentum after consecutive home losses, and Ergin Ataman’s side showed that the route to success begins on defense.
Locked in from the off, Panathinaikos held Virtus to just 15 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second, taking a 39-33 lead into the second half.
And then came a suffocating third period for the visitors. Panathinaikos raised its intensity even more, turning defense into offense with devastating buckets in transition that delivered blow after blow to the Italian side.
The third quarter saw the hosts record 4 steals and 3 blocks, with Panathinaikos scoring a total of 20 points off turnovers throughout the game.
When Virtus cut the difference to 39-37 in the opening stages of the second half, Richaun Holmes and Juancho Hernangomez stepped up to ignite the crowd.
A sequence of two straight possessions was enough to get the building buzzing, as Juancho rejected Carsen Edwards with authority before Kendrick Nunn hustled to keep the ball alive and found TJ Shorts, who lobbed it up for an alley-oop slam by an incoming Holmes.
A few seconds later, Cedi Osman got the steal on one end and Shorts ran full-speed to grab the ball on the other before setting up Nunn, who finished with the layup in transition. Virtus head coach Dusko Ivanovic called a timeout, but it was too late.
Hustle plays on both ends brought the fans into the equation, with Panathinaikos rediscovering its confidence to pull away in the fourth quarter.
“Tonight we showed great hustle,” Ataman told EuroLeague TV. “Defensively, we worked very well, and of course, the rebounds. Tonight, Holmes gave great contributions in all situations: defensively, rebounds, offensively on the roll.”
In fact, the Panathinaikos center dominated the paint, finishing the game on 16 points after going 5-for-8 from inside the arc and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. More importantly, he downed 9 boards, including 4 on the offensive end to provide his team with valuable extra possessions.
“[Holmes] was a big transfer for us at the beginning of the season, but unfortunately he stopped for two months because of a very important injury and now he came back to the team and he showed his potential,” Ataman said in the post-game press conference. “It’s very important for sure for the big goals we have for the season.”
Having drawn energy from his family, who attended the game and celebrated each of his plays, Holmes also registered 2 blocks and 1 steal in a complete outing.
“Every time I see [my family] in the crowd, it’s extra motivation,” he admitted after the game. “I want to just put on another show for them. I just love seeing them out there.”
His intensity was matched by Juancho, who picked up 8 rebounds to go with his 3 steals and 2 blocks as Panathinaikos managed as many as 10 steals and forced Virtus to 16 turnovers.
Having found their defensive footing with a solid display against Virtus, the Greens channeled their energy into offense. By outhustling one of the most compact teams in the competition, Ataman’s side have set the blueprint moving forward.
