Panathinaikos beats Barcelona and climbs to second in Euroleague
Olympiakos also gained one place with its win over Villeurbanne
Panathinaikos defeated Barcelona and is looking good for finishing second in the regular season of the Euroleague, while Olympiakos saw off lowly Villeurbanne, in the latter half of the season’s last double week.
First up, Olympiakos beat French visitors Villeurbanne 80-64 on Thursday at the Peace and Friendship Stadium to rise to fifth.
The Reds enjoyed a healthy lead in the first half (43-35 at half-time), but the French recovered and went level in the third quarter, giving their hosts a scare.
It took a strong last five minutes for the Greek champion to overcome its opponent, with a partial 19-3 score in the end.
In this 19th win in 31 games, Olympiakos had Alec Peters notch up 17 points and Moustapha Fall add another 12.
Then on Friday Panathinaikos scored a remarkable 89-81 win over Barcelona in Athens, to cover its eight-point loss in Spain and climb to second. If it wins its three remaining games it will finish only behind Real Madrid.
Barcelona was the better team in the first half, stretching its lead up to 16 points midway through the second quarter (40-24), but the Greens were not to be denied.
In the second half, led by an impressive Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos scored a partial 55-35 and won handsomely, matching the eight points of difference it had lost with at Barcelona. Its superior goal difference means it stands a good chance to finish second.
Kendrick Nunn scored 22 points, Dinos Mitoglou made 19 with 10 rebounds, and Sloukas had 18 points with eight assists.
