After taking an outstanding win over Barcelona last week, inconsistent Milan (10-13) will look to build more momentum against a Panathinaikos (14-9) team which has won four in a row in Athens.
Ettore Messina, Milan: 'They are showing to be almost unbeatable'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 24 of 34
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
7962
EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
Overview
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The Greens grabbed a road win, 68-76, when the teams met a month ago, paced by 17 points from Kendrick Nunn, who has averaged 17.3 points in the last four games. Milan's triumph over Barca last week was led by 23 points from the irrepressible Shavon Shields, while recent signing Rodney McGruder also made a solid contribution with 11 points in just his second game for the team, and he'll look to continue that form to add greater depth to a backcourt which has often misfired this season.
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"A very difficult game. Milan has a very good roster, especially now with important players like Mirotic and Shidels coming back from injury. They have one of the best and most experienced coaches in Europe. Maybe they did not get good results at the start of the season, but lately they are showing changes. They took a solid win to Barcelona last week. We have to get ready for that. Sloukas will not be playing and Vildoza only had one practice with the team. It's a must-win game for us. We will need the support of our fans to give us extra energy. Agressiveness and defense will be the keys of this game."
Ettore Messina, Milan head coach
"Communication on the court will be very important inside a very noisy arena. From a basketball standpoint, we need to take good care of the ball to keep them from scoring easy baskets off turnovers and to control the rebounds. Panathinaikos, just like us, has had some injury problems to overcome, but on the court they are showing to be almost unbeatable and we are aware of how difficult the game will be."
Kostas Antetokounmpo, Panathinaikos player
"It's a very important game for us. Milan is a very good team with a big roster and excellent players like Mirotic and Napier. We want to play hard on defense and our fans will certainly help us in that. Milan is a different team lately, as we saw in their last game where they beat Barcelona."
Nicolo Melli, Milan player
"Before the last round, Panathinaiks had collected a streak of wins that validated the quality of its roster. They have physicality, individual talent and a historically very effective home court advantage. We need to play our kind of game, paying close attention to details, with intensity and mental toughness during the critical moments of the game. We are aware that to win this game we'll need a huge performance but we'll try with every ounce of energy."