Panathinaikos beats Maccabi to reach the Final Four

Panathinaikos is returning to the Euroleague Final Four after 12 long years, thanks to its emphatic 81-72 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Athens on Tuesday that saw the Greens win the quarterfinal series 3-2.

Game 5 of this very entertaining playoff tie was pretty much like the first four games, i.e. balanced and hard-fought, with the lead changing hands several times.

The first quarter finished 21-19 in the Israeli team’s favor and the half-time score was 41-41, with the hosts edging ahead after Q3 (58-56).

That was when the Greens stepped on the gas to take a clear lead and win the game: Ten unanswered points put the game beyond Maccabi, under the pressure of 20,000 Panathinaikos fans who saw their team win comfortably in the end.

Kendrick Nunn was the man of the match with 26 points, followed by Kostas Sloukas with 15 until he got injured.

This means Panathinaikos has booked its spot for the Berlin Final Four, to chase a seventh Euroleague title.

On Wednesday Olympiakos will try to join the Greens facing Barcelona in Spain.