Panathinaikos AKTOR secured a victory at the Uber Arena against Alba Berlin (87-77) in a matchup for the 1st round of the EuroLeague regular season. The top scorer for the Greens was Kendrick Nunn with 16 points.
Panathinaikos AKTOR started the game strong, leading 9-2 at the 3rd minute and extending the lead to 19-7 at the 7th minute. The end of the first quarter saw the Greens ahead 26-17, and by the 13th minute, they had restored a double-digit lead (25-35). By the 16th minute, the hosts cut the deficit to 37-32, but by the 17th minute, the Greens had pulled away again to 42-32, closing the half with a 45-36 lead.
The difference reached +11 for Panathinaikos AKTOR at the 22nd minute (38-49), with the Germans narrowing it down to 49-42 in the following minute. By the 25th minute, Alba Berlin came close to 51-47, but the Greens responded with a 5-0 run, making it 56-47 at the 26th minute. At the 28th minute, the hosts brought the game within a basket (54-56), yet by the 29th minute, Panathinaikos increased the lead to 62-54 before closing the third quarter at 62-57.
By the 32nd minute, the difference was back to double digits (57-68), reaching 14 points (57-71) by the 33rd minute. The hosts pressed and managed to reduce the lead to 4 points (75-79 in the 38th minute), but Panathinaikos AKTOR had an answer once more, securing the final victory and an ideal start to the 2024/25 EuroLeague regular season.
The quarters: 17-26, 36-45, 57-62, 77-87.
Alba Berlin (Gonzalez): Spagnolo 8, Wetzell 6, McDowell-White 13 (3), Mattisseck 6 (1), Hermannsson 12 (1), Olinde 6, Koumadje 8, Rapique 2, Bean 5 (1), Williams 11 (3).
Panathinaikos AKTOR (Ataman): Καλαϊτζάκης, Μπράουν 5, Σλούκας 10 (2), Οσμάν 5 (1), Γκραντ 10 (2), Ναν 16 (1), Λεσόρ 14, Γκριγκόνις 3 (1), Ερνανγκόμεθ 11 (3), Μήτογλου 5 (1), Γιουρτσεβέν 8.
Ataman: "At this point of the season, it is important to start with a win"
Panathinaikos AKTOR’s head coach, Ergin Ataman, stated during the post-game press conference following the away match against Alba Berlin: "I believe we controlled the game until the last two minutes, where they had the opportunity to come back due to Olinde’s foul on a three-pointer. Throughout the game, there were many moments when we had the chance to 'break' it, but we allowed some shots, like those by Williams, who made three three-pointers. We couldn’t 'break' the game when we were up by 13 points. At this point of the season, it is important to start with a win. I believe we will play much better day by day.
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