Basket League relegation battle heats up as Aris and PAOK win
The relegation battle in the Basket League was thrown wide open over the weekend, with six teams within one point at the foot of the table, out of which two will go down.
The home wins by struggling Thessaloniki rivals PAOK and Aris took them level on points with Kolossos and just one point behind Panionios, Iraklis and Larissa.
Aris’ home win over Larissa with a 90-72 score appeared twice as important as PAOK’s 110-80 triumph over Ionikos: Larissa had beaten Aris by 14 points earlier this season, so Aris now has a better head-to-head record.
However observes note that Ionikos, that is two points off the bottom, may also get tangled into the battle for survival in the top flight, as it appears to have entered a troubled spell in terms of its roster that has undergone significant changes recently.
Rethymno also scored a precious victory downing Iraklis 69-63 on Crete to climb up to seventh, despite having been in the drop zone a few weeks ago.
AEK is now alone in second after beating high-flying Ifaistos Limnou 74-68 in Athens, while Promitheas dropped to joint third losing 99-76 in Patra to champion Panathinaikos that is two points ahead of AEK.
Peristeri has joined Promtheas courtesy of its 61-48 away win over Panionios, in a game where shooting was not at its best.
Lavrio is alone on sixth beating visiting Kolossos Rhodes 78-68, with its fans mocking the visitors after last season’s fixture that was decided months later with the repeat of the final seconds due to a crucial referee call deemed incorrect.
