Panathinaikos OPAP Athens surged into the playoffs with a commanding 87-67 home victory over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, securing a sixth-place finish and a playoff matchup with Real Madrid for the second consecutive season. Nick Calathes once again orchestrated his team's efforts, registering the competition's first triple-double since 2006 with 11 points, a career-high 18 assists and 11 rebounds. James Gist also excelled, pairing a season-high 23 points with 6 rebounds. DeShaun Thomas added 17 points and Ioannis Papapetrou had 12 points and 8 boards. The early stages were closely contested, but Panathinaikos surged clear before halftime and was never in serious danger after that. Buducnost finished the season with a 6-24 record. Teenage big man Goga Bitadze paced the visitors with 16 points and 8 rebounds and Norris Cole scored 14.
PHOTOS
