Panathinaikos, Real Madrid got the job done in the semis
Back at its first Final Four in 12 years, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens rose to the occasion in its semifinal against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The Greens held Fenerbahce scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest, during which time it went 12-0 ahead, and they ended up leading the rest of the way – despite a Fenerbahce fightback – en route to a 73-57 victory in the first semifinal at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin. All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, while All-EuroLeague guard Kendrick Nunn had 14 points. Jerian Grant also chipped in with 13 points for the winners.
The second semifinal saw Real Madrid prevent a potential all-Greek final by downing Olympiacos Piraeus 87-76, the second time in a row that the Spanish side eliminated the Reds at the Final Four after previously coming out on top in the 2023 championship game. Real Madrid blitzed Olympiacos early to take a 28-10 lead and was up 56-37 at the break. Even though the Reds outscored Los Blancos in the second half, 31-39, it wasn’t enough. Dzanan Musa led Real Madrid in scoring with 20 points, followed by Mario Hezonja with 12, and Guerschon Yabusele and Vincent Poirier with 11 apiece. Facundo Campazzo dished 9 assists.