Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is heading to the 2023-24 EuroLeague Championship Game for the first time since 2011 after beating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 73-57 in the first semifinal. The winner will come up against the victor of the clash between Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus, which begins at 21:15 CEST this Friday night.
Mathias Lessort shined for the Greens with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, with Kendrick Nunn adding 14 points and Jerian Grant 13. For Fenerbahce, Nigel Hayes-Davis had 14 points, while Nate Sestina and Marko Guduric added 10 apiece.
Panathinaikos shot out to a 12-0 start and led 22-13 at the end of the first quarter. However, a Hayes-Davis-inspired comeback allowed Fenerbahce to make it a two-point ballgame, 38-36, at halftime. Ergin Ataman's men managed to stay just ahead of Saras Jasikevicius's squad, despite their best efforts to turn it around, as the Greens held a 56-50 advantage heading into the final period. Panathinaikos quickly put the game to bed early in the fourth quarter and held a double-digit lead for the final 6:28 before coming away with a 73-57 triumph and a place in Sunday's final.
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