Panathinaikos AKTOR was unable to overcome EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, suffering a defeat at Unipol Arena (87-75) in Round 24 of the EuroLeague. Kostas Sloukas was the leading scorer for the Greens with 22 points.
Panathinaikos AKTOR started the game well, displaying rhythm on both ends of the court and maintaining a slight lead in the opening minutes (7-11 at 5'). EA7 Emporio Armani Milan responded with a scoring run, but the Greens quickly recovered to reclaim the lead (15-16 at 9'). Early in the second quarter, Panathinaikos AKTOR built a three-point advantage (21-24 at 13'), yet another surge from the Italian side put them back in control (31-24 at 15'). By halftime, the home team held a narrow lead (39-37).
At the start of the second half, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan extended its lead to nine points (54-45 at 25'). Despite improved perimeter shooting, Panathinaikos AKTOR was unable to close the gap by the end of the third quarter (66-50 at 30').
In the final period, the Greens attempted a comeback, but EA7 Emporio Armani Milan maintained high shooting accuracy from beyond the arc, ensuring their advantage until the final buzzer to secure the victory.
Quarters: 17-16, 39-37, 66-50, 87-75.
EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN (Messina): Dimitrijevic 4, Mannion 14 (2), Tonut 2, Bolmaro 6, Brooks 3 (1), LeDay 33 (5), Caruso 4, Shields 10 (2), Gillespie 11.
PANATHINAIKOS AKTOR (Ataman): Kalaitzakis, Brown, Sloukas 22 (5), Osman 12 (1), Papapetrou, Grant 5 (1), Nunn 18 (3), Gabriel 4, Antetokounmpo, Hernangómez 5, Mitoglou 9 (1).
Ataman: "We lost control in the third quarter"
Panathinaikos AKTOR suffered a defeat against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at Unipol Arena. Following the game, Ergin Ataman stated:
"We lost control of the game in the third quarter. In the final period, we tried to fight back. The statistics are somewhat unusual. We attempted one more three-pointer, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan took one more two-pointer, we had one more assist. There was only a four-rebound difference. The biggest statistical disparity is right there on paper, but I prefer not to mention it."
When asked about the frequent fouls called against Kendrick Nunn, he replied: "We will discuss this. Tonight, all the fouls called against him were correct. I don't want to comment on the other calls made against us."
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