The Greens dominated the boards and found an extra gear in the second half
Panathinaikos hits top gear to dismantle battling Maccabi
Rungtynių ataskaitos
3 Minutė skaityti
Regular Season
Round 7 of 38
Regular Season
Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPAO
9985
Maccabi Rapyd Tel AvivMTA
Overview
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens cruised to a 99-85 home win over Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv and improved to 5-2 in the EuroLeague after a flawless second-half performance garnished by 23 assists and a staggering 41 rebounds, of which 19 were on the offensive end.
Big man Omer Yurtseven was the home team’s trump card as the Turkish center racked up 16 points and a career-high 13 boards, having done a fantastic job of filling in for NBA stalwart Richaun Holmes, who limped off injured in the first half.
According to initial reports, Holmes faces at least a month on the sidelines with a knee injury, but Panathinaikos made light of his absence as Kendrick Nunn sank a game-high 22 points and Cedi Osman added 20 for the Greens, who fired on all cylinders in the second half.
Having trailed 47-49 at the break, the hosts produced a pair of decisive runs in the second half, 13-2 in the third quarter and 12-0 in the fourth to break down a stubborn Maccabi side undone by 11 steals from Panathinaikos and 14 turnovers of their own.
While the result lifted Panathinaikos into the upper echelon of the standings, Maccabi dropped to 2-5. Having singled out several individuals for stellar performances, the home team’s head coach Ergin Ataman praised the collective effort – especially on defense.
“Nunn found his shots in the second half and Cedi played very well, as did Yurtseven, especially on the offensive rebounds,” the Turkish tactician said. “We played great defense in the last quarter and that allowed us to find fast break points. We weren’t perfect, but we held them to a mere 36 points in the second half while playing smart offense at the other end.”
Yurtseven picked up 8 offensive boards and Juancho Hernangomez added 7 to rack up a total of 11 rebounds, highlighting the home side’s ruthless efficiency in Maccabi’s paint, which amounted to 24 second-chance points. Yurtseven was ever so humble after victory, crediting the team for enabling him to hit the ground running.
“I had ups and downs throughout the game but Kendrick and Cedi did an amazing job,” he said. “Cedi was especially effective on the defensive end on Lonnie (Walker) and we took out Jimmy Clark in the second half after he was their X-factor in the first. I helped out with the rebounds and the points, having had a good connection with the other guys.”
Jaylen Hoard led Maccabi on 15 points and 9 boards with Clark adding 14 points, including the game’s magic moment when he hit nothing but net from well inside his own half at the halftime buzzer. However, he fizzled out after the break and after Maccabi drew level 71-71 early in the fourth quarter, the visitors were brushed aside by the 12-0 Panathinaikos blitz that effectively sealed the contest.
Osman too was pleased with the effort. “I am really happy to be a part of this team and I think we did a great job tonight,” the Turkish forward said. “I try to bring the energy and play my game every night, but it’s my teammates who make my job easier. It’s a big win as everybody contributed.”
Panathinaikos, which has now won six of the last seven meetings between the two sides, nosed ahead 21-20 in the head-to-head record against Maccabi, whose head coach Oded Kattash conceded that his team had no chance of coming out on top after losing the battle of the boards.
“They scored a lot of second-chance points as we just couldn’t get the rebounds,” he said. “You can’t win here without controlling the boards and that was our weakness tonight. We had some good minutes, but to win here, you need to be more consistent in a high-tempo game.”
