The Greens came up short despite erasing an 18-point deficit to tie the game in the final minute
Positives remain for Panathinaikos despite defeat
Article
3 Mins read
Despite suffering a heart-stopping defeat against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, going down 2-1 in the best-of-five series, the game still left plenty of positives for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to believe a Final Four berth can still be sealed.
The Greek team was beaten, 85-83, in the final seconds as Maccabi guard Lorenzo Brown was fouled by Jerian Grant in the act of shooting and broke a tie by sinking both free throws before Kendrick Nunn hit the rim with an attempted game-winner on the final buzzer.
Although the narrow nature of the outcome made it a frustrating finale for the Greens, the truth is that Panathinaikos was fortunate to even be in contention when crunch came around, because for 35 minutes this was a one-sided mauling.
Maccabi scored the first 7 points of the game inside 70 seconds and didn’t look back, holding a series of double-digit advantages and a maximum lead of 18 points midway through the third quarter, with Panathinaikos rarely looking like a team capable of winning the game.
And therein lies the best news to emerge from the night for the Greek team: despite playing badly, Ergin Ataman’s men still nearly won.
And that’s the opinion of Ataman himself, who pulled no punches as he offered a brief assessment of the action, saying: “We didn’t play good basketball tonight, especially in the first half. We need to start better. I was surprised by the first half.”
Even when the Greens did get themselves in contention to win, Ataman was dissatisfied with how they handled the crucial final moments, saying: “We didn’t take the jump ball, we made a stupid foul on the last 2 seconds, and we missed a game-winning shot.”
Despite all those negatives, however, Panathinaikos nearly did grab an unlikely win, mainly because of superb fourth-quarter performances from big man Mathias Lessort and backcourt sniper Nunn.
With Nunn netting 13 points while Lessort contributed 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 fouls drawn in the final frame, the Greens were able to turn a series of 11-point deficits into an 83-83 tie with 40 seconds remaining – the first time the scoreboard had been level since the opening tip.
It could have been even better for Panathinaikos if Lessort hadn’t missed one of his free throws when he tied the game, or if Lessort had then won his jump ball with Josh Nebo, or if Grant hadn’t fouled Brown in the act of shooting, or if Nunn had made his attempted game-winning three on the buzzer.
It could have been better if Kostas Sloukas had scored any points (he was 0-of-3 from the field), if Marius Grigonis had scored more than 2, if Grant had scored more than 6, if Nunn had scored more than 4 of his 13 two-point attempts, if the team hadn’t missed 8 free throws, if Maccabi had been forced into more than 7 turnovers, if Josh Nebo hadn’t been allowed to score 10 of his 13 two-point attempts.
Pretty much everything could have been better about this performance by Panathinaikos, which probably deserved to lose the game by at least 10 points on the overall balance of play but somehow nearly won.
If just a few of those improvements can be made, Thursday’s outcome could be very different.
Game Videos
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Kostas Sloukas with a crazy buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Jerian Grant shows big hustle! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:57
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Juancho Hernangomez: 'We have a lot of talent, everybody can step up'
- 00:44
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Jerian Grant: 'That's what championship teams do'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | PO Game-1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Yurtseven at it again! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:11
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Grant seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Juancho flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Yurtseven on the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kendrick NUNN Got MIC’D UP and SCORED BIG | AS Monaco - Panathinaikos
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The 7th Star - Trailer
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Kendrick Nunn: 'The one I'm most proud of is the 10 assists'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 34 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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EuroLeague 25 Moments: When Panathinaikos took Virtus’s crown in 2002
- 00:39
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Levi Randolph: 'This shows the character of our team'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
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Kendrick Nunn: 'We came here with one job: to win'
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AS Monaco-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 33 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Title hereGabriel attacks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Paris Basketball | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 32 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:24
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Juancho Hernangomez: 'Great teams keep fighting until the end'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 31 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
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Gabriel dominates on both ends! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Nunn rejects Clark! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:42
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Jerian Grant: 'It was one of the most special nights of my life'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:14
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Nunn destroys the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:19
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Papapetrou beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:18
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Rokas Jokubaitis: 'We play for pride and are doing an amazing job'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 30 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Jimmy Clark we have take-off! Motorola Magic Moment
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EuroLeague 25 Moments: Maccabi and its magical run to the 2014 title
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:24
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Trevion Williams: 'We just want to keep our foot on the gas'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-AS Monaco | RS Round 29 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
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Williams dunks off a Clark dish! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
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Williams opens the game in style! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:19
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Levi Randolph: 'It's a testament to the team and our character'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b689ab33-691c-4f5c-a802-32a68089b382.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Clark does a steal & dunk play again! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:19
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Clark from deep to beat the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:27
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Kendrick Nunn: 'I'm all in'
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-Real Madrid | RS Round 28 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:31
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Nunn posterizes Tavares! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:12
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Hernangomez again! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Nunn’s showtime slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:52
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Kendrick Nunn: 'We've played well at home, we have to play the same on the road'
