PAOK’s Turner reminds fans of basketball’s magic

A last-ditch triple by Elston Turner Jr gave PAOK a spectacular win at Rhodes against host Kolossos as the Thessaloniki team confirms it is on the rise, while Panathinaikos and AEK preserved their perfect records in the Basket League.

PAOK scored its first away win of the season, beating Kolossos 85-84 in a match that will be hard to forget for those who saw it. PAOK led by 17 (49-32), but Kolossos bounced back to advance by six (82-76), until two straight three-pointers by Turner – the latter 1.5 seconds from the buzzer – gave PAOK victory on Saturday.

Turner could have gone for a two-pointer with greater certainty to take the game to overtime, but opted instead for a triple, confident enough from the previous one, to turn things around in a truly magic basketball moment.

Messolonghi gave Panathinaikos a scare at home on Sunday, leading 62-61 a few minutes from the end, but the Greens recovered to win 73-66 in the end, their sixth league win in as many games.

AEK is on seven out of seven, downing Aris 84-67 in Athens, and stands alone at the top of the table.

Ionikos scored its first home win since returning to the top flight this season, an 86-77 win over Promitheas Patras. Larissa gave Peristeri a really hard time but the hosts managed to pull through with an 82-78 score.

Ambitious Lavrio smashed Iraklis away 77-60, with the Thessaloniki team looking for a new coach.