After taking both wins in the last double-round week of the season, Panathinaikos (20-11) knows it controls its own fate in the race for a top four finish ahead of a trip to free-falling Virtus (17-4).
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos: 'These last three games will be like a final'
The Italian team will hope that experienced Toko Shengelia can contain the marauding presence of Mathias Lessort and Dinos Mitoglou, and needs an injury-hit backcourt to step up against a Greens set of guards led offensively by Kostas Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn. Mitoglou was an unstoppable force when the teams met in November, powering 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 90-76 home victory, and Virtus faces a tough task in turning around recent momentum after losing four games in a row.
Luca Banchi, Virtus head coach
"Coach Ataman has managed to give Panathinaikos a specific game identity by collecting invaluable victories that today deservedly place them in second place in the standings thanks to the aggressiveness of their defense and a consistently well-balanced offense. They will certainly be tough opponents determined to maintain their position in the standings, but our desire is to take advantage of each of the remaining matches to bring our performance to the level of a top team. We will be careful to take care of every little detail to put our opponents in trouble, thanks also to the energy that our fans will be able to transmit to us, with the common goal of experiencing another evening of great emotions."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"I am glad to have all my players available, but in the end on the court it's five against five. It's good to have a selection of players to share minutes among them, but the important thing will be the performance of said players on the court. A very tough and important game for both teams. These last three games will be like a final. We are second now and our goal is to protect that position, but I have lots of respect for coach Banchi and his team. We need to be calm, play team basketball and share the ball. For sure, we also need aggressive defense, like we played in OAKA."
Bryant Dunston, Virtus player
"Tomorrow's game will be very important for us. Panathinaikos is a team on the rise that is playing very good basketball. They are a very physical team, both under the basket and defending on the perimeter, with talented shooters. We will give our all in front of our fans, we want to bring them a good result."
Kostas Antetokounmpo, Panathinaikos player
"It will be a difficult game, Virtus is a very good team. They play at home, it is a very important game for us and also for them. They have very good post players like Sengelia. We have to stop their creation. We are in 2nd place and the last three games are 'finals' for us."