The regular season’s top scorer and MVP lifted Panathinaikos to a crunch Game 3 victory against Efes
Coach Ataman hails mature Nunn performance ahead of Game 4 blockbuster
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Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is on the cusp of sealing a return to the Final Four after the competition’s top performer Kendrick Nunn produced a vintage display to give the Greek giant a 2-1 lead against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in their quarterfinal playoff series.
The two teams meet again in Game 4 on Friday and after coming through a bruising encounter to grind out a 77-81 road win in Game 3, the Greens will be hopeful of punching their ticket for the May 23-25 showpiece event in Abu Dhabi.
Having endured a pair of torrid tests of his credentials in the opening two games when the rivals shared the spoils, Panathinaikos guard Nunn finally caught fire in Game 3 as he poured in 25 points, drawing praise from his head coach Ergin Ataman.
“Nunn is a great player and he understands that he needs to move the ball when he’s got two or three players marking him aggressively. In critical situations he attacked the basket superbly and was able to score 25 points,” Ataman told the postgame press conference after seeing his team fend off a fierce Efes onslaught in the fourth quarter.
“Once again, it was a great game between these two teams. Our offense started to work much better when [Kostas] Sloukas came on to the court in the second quarter as we scored 25 points in that period and gained confidence. In the third, Efes kept playing aggressive defense on Nunn but this time he found a way to move the ball and we were able to take control of the game,” the Turkish tactician added.
Panathinaikos looked in trouble after Efes found another gear in the final 10 minutes to wipe out a 13-point deficit, but the holders showed the mettle and resolve akin only to the royalty of European club basketball as they weathered the storm.
The visitors thrived on a huge contribution from power forward Konstantinos Mitoglou, who buried a clutch three-pointer to give Panathinaikos a 74-79 lead before Nunn sealed victory with a pair of free throws in the dying seconds.
Ataman acknowledged his team would take nothing for granted ahead of Game 4 with Efes showing the ability to bounce back from any kind of adversity.
“In the last quarter we gave away some turnovers, offensive rebounds and last-gasp shots, putting the game on the line,” Ataman said. “Ultimately, we were able to find points through Nunn and win the game. Still, it’s only 2-1 and we know that Efes will continue to fight as they are a great team playing outstanding basketball.”
It was a tough loss for Efes head coach Luca Banchi, who hoped that his team would turn the series on its head after rallying from a similar deficit to win Game 2 in Athens, 76-79, levelling the series after Panathinaikos had won the opening clash 87-83.
The Italian tactician revealed that towering center Vincent Poirier got limited time on the court on Wednesday after picking up an injury in Game 2. Poirier did not feature in the second half of Game 3 as he only netted 2 points, both of them from the foul line in 16 first-half minutes, which allowed Panathinaikos to grab a barrage of offensive rebounds.
Banchi was adamant that his men would recuperate for the do-or-die Game 4, with PJ Dozier also nursing a sore hand as the grueling series takes its toll amid plenty of physical contact throughout.
“Unfortunately, Vince suffered an injury during Game 2 which cost him in preparations for Game 3 and we saw during the game that he wasn’t moving as well as he normally does,” Banchi stressed.
“I am sure we will be able to compete again in 48 hours regardless of the fatigue, the level of our opponent and the frustration with the tough loss we suffered. We will bounce back.
“We want to grow and improve as a team in the series because we know we are facing the defending champions. They came into the Istanbul part of the series with great desire and focus to avenge the one defeat they suffered in Athens but I believe we are responding well to adversity. There is room for improvement and that’s why we have to stay calm,” added Banchi, whose team steamrolled into the playoffs after winning their last eight regular-season games to jump from bottom-half doldrums into the postseason.
In order to keep their Final Four hopes alive, Banchi’s men will have to show every bit of that resolve in order to tie the series and take it back to Athens for a Game 5 tiebreaker.