Reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens welcomes 2021 and 2022 title winner Anadolu Efes Istanbul for the decider of a hugely entertaining back-and-forth series.
Game Notes: Panathinaikos vs. Efes

The Turkish team will have no fear of the awe-inspiring Athens atmosphere after already grabbing a road win in Game 2, but the Greens can take confidence from the fact that they have never lost consecutive home games during the reign of former Efes coach Ergin Ataman.
Both teams have past recent experience of this type of occasion – Panathinaikos overcame Maccabi in Game 5 this time last season, while Efes did the same against Real Madrid during its 2021 title run – and battle-hardened performers on both sides like Kostas Sloukas, Kendrick Nunn, Shane Larkin and Elijah Bryant will thrive rather than wilt under the pressure.
An X-factor for Efes in Game 4 was playmaker Darius Thompson, who had his team’s highest +/- (8) despite not even attempting a two-point shot, as he delivered 5 assists on just 1 turnover to lead his team’s offense with composure.
Larkin also had a strong night of distribution, dishing 9 assists as part of a team total of 24, so Panathinaikos’s defensive focus will surely be disrupting the visitors’ ball circulation. One key figure in that quest will be former Efes forward Cedi Osman, whose high-energy style has yielded 14.5 points per game so far in the series.
The Greens will look to gain extra possessions by crashing the glass through Omer Yurtseven, who took advantage of Vincent Poirier’s injury problems by grabbing 6 offensive rebounds last time out. Another important physical presence is Juancho Hernangomez, who combines solid rebounding (8.2 boards per game in the series) with dangerous long-range shooting.
And in a series that has delivered constant changes in momentum, with neither team winning two games in a row, we should get ready for plenty of thrills and spills before the last ticket to the Final Four is finally taken.
Game Videos
- Efes forced Game 5 with an 85-82 win in Game 4 in which one of the heroes was Erkan Yilmaz, who made his first start of the season. Yilmaz posted season-highs in points (6), rebounds (4), assists (3), tied his career-high with 3 steals and set a new career-best with a PIR of 11.
- Panathinaikos took a 2-1 series lead with a 77-81 win in Game 3 as Kendrick Nunn scored 25 points and earned co-MVP of the Round honors with a 31 PIR.
- In Game 2, Efes rallied to edge Panathinaikos 76-79 as Shane Larkin earned co-MVP of the Round honors thanks to his PIR of 27.
- Panathinaikos rallied to beat Efes 87-83 in Game 1 behind Juancho Hernangomez, who set career highs in points (20), rebounds (16) and PIR (40) and tied his career best with 3 steals. His 16 rebounds tied the EuroLeague Playoffs record. Hernangomez earned MVP of the Round honors for his performance.
- Efes center Dan Oturu tied a playoff record and set a career-high with 5 blocks in Game 3 of this series. Vincent Poirier became the first player in EuroLeague Playoffs history to have 5 blocked shots when he did so in Game 1.
- Panathinaikos beat Efes 104-89 in Round 26 behind Kendrick Nunn, who erupted for 30 second-half points and finished with 36 after going 7 for 10 on two-pointers, 5 for 11 on three-pointers and a perfect 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. Nunn also posted 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn for a 37 PIR, earning MVP of the Round honors.
- Efes thrashed Panathinaikos 93-67 in Round 15 in Istanbul and in the process set a club record with 8 blocks.
- Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman was in charge of Efes between 2017 and 2023 and guided the team to EuroLeague championships in 2021 and 2022. He was named the EuroLeague Coach of the Year in 2021, too.
- Panathinaikos center Tibor Pleiss, who hasn’t yet played in the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs, is set to face Efes for the first time since leaving the club last summer. He spent six seasons there and helped the team win the EuroLeague in 2021 and 2022.
- Panathinaikos forward Cedi Osman came through at Efes and made his EuroLeague debut there in the 2013-14 season. Efes's former head coach and now assistant Tomislav Mijatovic was also an assistant coach during Osman's entire time with the club.
- Daryl Macon scored 34 points and made a club-record 9 three-point shots for Panathinaikos in a 95-69 victory over Efes in October 2021.
- Efes set its EuroLeague club record this century with 33 made free throws against Panathinaikos in April 2005.
- Panathinaikos recorded 51 total rebounds, which is the most by the Greens in EuroLeague play this century, against Efes in March 2014.
- Panathinaikos beat Efes 81-71 in the 2000 EuroLeague Final Four semifinals and 74-66 in the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague semifinals.
- Panathinaikos ousted Efes 2-1 in their best-of-three EuroLeague playoff series in 2005.
- Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort and Efes center Vincent Poirier have been teammates on the French national team. Together they won bronze medals at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
- Efes's Dogus Ozdemiroglu, Shane Larkin, Ercan Osmani and Erkan Yilmaz all played under Coach Ataman on the Turkish national team and alongside Panathinaikos players Cedi Osman and Omer Yurtseven.
- Panathinaikos forward Cedi Osman tied his career high with 22 points in Game 4 against Efes.
- Panathinaikos center Omer Yurtseven grabbed a career-high 6 offensive rebounds and tied his career-best with 8 rebounds in Game 4 against Efes.
- Yurtseven had a career-high 3 steals in Game 2 against Efes in this series.
- Panathinaikos guard Jerian Grant tied his career high with 7 rebounds in Game 4.
- Efes guard PJ Dozier had career highs in PIR (28) and steals (6) while playing for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade against Panathinaikos in January 2024.
- Efes's Jordan Nwora grabbed a personal-best 8 rebounds in Round 15 against Panathinaikos this season.
- Marius Grigonis made a career-high 7 triples and had a career-best PIR of 28 to lead Panathinaikos past Efes, 83-76, last season in Athens.
- Efes guard Rodrigue Beaubois set a career-high with 4 blocks against Panathinaikos in November 2018.
- Efes center Vincent Poirier grabbed a career-high 4 steals while playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Panathinaikos in November 2017.