Euroleague Day 27
real Madrid
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos is the first team to beat Real Madrid at the Euroleague's Wizink Center. After 13 straight wins for the reigning champions, no one had managed to surprise them, but the Greek team, which finished in third place, defeated Madrid, led by a ferocious Mathias Lessort. The French center destroyed the white ring with a great performance (26 points, seven rebounds and four assists) that led the Greek team to the threshold of a victory that Mitoglou and Sloukas secured.
Ergin Ataman made a very precise approach and as soon as Chus pulled back Mateo Campazzo and Tavares with 22:13 for the Whites and the fans were thinking about another victory, he took advantage of his moment to turn the game with a goal that left him 11 points ahead ( 32-43). Real Madrid, confused by the success of Lessort and Nunn, began to give balls to their rivals. Twelve defeats in just 16 minutes weighed on the brand new Copa del Rey champions.
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Mateo regained his two supports and overcame the nine-point deficit (50:50) within four minutes as soon as he returned from the locker room. But Panathinaikos continued their very serious work, which allowed them to defeat the untouchable Real Madrid. Neither Lessort nor Nunn gave up against Tavares, Yabusele or Poirier. The two great references of the Greek team attacked the rim with great confidence.
Real Madrid, who were more aggressive in defense, were able to get going and Musa gave his team's attack plenty of breathing space. But Panathinaikos never collapsed. Grant, who had been overwhelmed by Campazzo in the opening minutes, measured the Argentine and prevented Madrid from playing with the joy that characterizes them. In the final minutes, when Madrid harassed its opponent and made him uncomfortable, Panathinaikos found new offensive reinforcements with decisive baskets from Mitoglou and Sloukas, which knocked down the champion, who was untouchable even at the Wizink Center.
Valencia Basket, playing in Bologna, trailed Virtus throughout the game and ended up suffering another defeat (87-74), complicating their chances of qualifying for the “Play In”. The Italian team, which was on a downward trend in the Euroleague, benefited from the break for the Cups and the FIBA windows, leaving no option for Álex Mumbrú's team, which is very irregular in Europe and cannot achieve the defense there Clay that has brought him so many victories this season. In the final quarter, Virtue took a breath without Jones or Pangos and condemned Valencia Basket after a technical error against Brandon Davies.
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