Real Madrid did just enough to open its 2022-23 season with a road victory, escaping the Greek capital with a hard-fought 68-71 win over Panathinaikos Athens.
Real wins season-opener in Athens, 68-71
Walter Tavares dominated inside with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks while Dzanan Musa poured in a career-high 13 points in his first EuroLeague game for Real. The 2022 runner-up survived committing 19 turnovers and hitting just 7 three-pointers to start the campaign under new coach Chus Mateo the right way. Derrick Williams scored a team-high 15 points for Panathinaikos in the loss.
Mario Hezonja came off the Real bench in the first quarter with 8 quick points and a 13-21 lead. Panathinaikos fought back and the game was tight the rest of the way, with Real up 22-23 after 10 minutes and 37-38 at halftime.
Neither team could pull away in the third quarter with the biggest lead being 4 points and the guests led 51-54 after 30 minutes. After major outside shooting struggles, Real got back-to-back three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter for a 7-point lead and then Sergio Llull hit a dagger three-pointer with 46 seconds left for the win.