Real Madrid held off a stirring comeback from Panathinaikos OPAP Athens to record a thrilling 75-72 home victory in the opening game of their playoffs series in the Spanish capital. Madrid was in front nearly all night and led by 14 early in the third quarter, but the Greens did not give up and roared in front 66-72 with 4 minutes left. Madrid rallied to finish strong and take the victory when DeShaun Thomas missed the chance to force overtime near the final buzzer. Jeffery Taylor paced the winners with 13 points, Fabien Causeur scored 12 and Walter Tavares combined 8 points with 8 rebounds. Nick Calathes recovered from a slow start to lead all scorers with 17 points for the Greens and Thomas added 12 while Ian Vougoiukas paired 10 points and 6 rebounds. The teams will meet again for Game 2 in Madrid on Friday.
