Panathinaikos downs Maccabi Tel Aviv 95-79, evens up series at 1-1

Apr 25, 2024 | Holyland Hoops

Panathinaikos downed Maccabi Tel Aviv 95-79 as the hosts evened up the quarterfinal series at one game apiece with games there and four slated for next for Belgrade next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Without Wade Baldwin who was suffering from a hamstring injury, Jake Cohen helped the yellow-and-blue grab a 28-20 lead after ten minutes of the play but Kostas Sloukas scored in bunches ahead off halftime to give Ergin Ataman’s squad a 51-39 advantage. Ioannis Papapetrou and Konstantinos Mitoglou kept the hosts ahead in the third quarter, but Antonius Cleveland, Jasiel Rivero and Lorenzo Brown pulled Oded Katash’s team to within juts 3-points 71-68 early on in the fourth quarter. However, Mathias Lassort, Papapetrou and Sloukas all found points to close out the 16-point victory.

Lorenzo Brown – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


Brown scored 18 points while Cleveland and Cohen each added 12 points in the loss. Sloukas dropped 29 points, Papapetrou chipped in with 15 points, Mitoglou added 14 points in the loss.

Oded Katash – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


“The game went like we thought,” Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Oded Katash began. “Panathinaikos got what they wanted. I think we showed character and came back from tough situations just like in game one but we were short a few players due to foul trouble. We lost focus a little bit in their big possessions where they got 6+ points. Sloukas knows what he’s doing. Overall, there’s a lot we can take from the game. In the bigger picture we stayed there and we didn’t give up. I don’t know if Wade Baldwin will play in game 3 and will check it out again in 4 days.”

Jake Cohen – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


Jake Cohen opened up the game with a pair from deep for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Mathias Lessort and Konstantinos Mitoglou responded, Lorenzo Brown came in for an uncontested layup, Kendrick Nunn dialed up long distance, Cohen came in for a deuce while Marius Grigonis did the same as the yellow-and-blue held a slim 12-11 lead midway through the first quarter.

Jake Cohen – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


Nunn drilled in a corner 3-ball, Josh Nebo scored inside John Dibartolomeo went from long distance, James Webb spun into the paint for a bucket, Brown went in for dunk, Kostas Sloukas scored from deep, but Jasiel Rivero nailed a 3-pointer as the period came to an end with Maccabi up 28-20 after ten minutes of end-to-end action.

Tamis Blatt – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


Sloukas scored to begin the second quarter, Kostas Antetokounmpo found points inside, Tamir Blatt went from way downtown, Nebo scored an acrobatic basket in the paint, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis did the same for the hosts as Cohen added another deuce for a 35-30 Maccabi lead with 5:45 left in the first half. Sloukas scored from the inside and outside, Bonzie Colson hit a fadeaway, Sloukas again went for a pair from deep, Ioannis Papapetrou drained a corner 3-ball and Lessort scored inside, Mitoglou went from the midrange as Ergin Ataman’s squad had all of the momentum to head into halftime with a 51-39 advantage.

Lorenzo Brown – Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography


Papapetrou got the third quarter rolling with points, Mitoglou added a basket, Brown hit a deuce, Nunn returned the favor to keep Panathinaikos in the drivers seat with a 59-44 lead midway through the period. Papapetrou went from deep, Brown responded, Nunn again scored, Antonius Cleveland dunked, Blatt dialed up for a pair from long distance, Sloukas went from the outside and inside but a Colson steal and Cleveland basket at the buzzer cut the host’s lead to 71-60 after thirty minutes of action.

Cleveland dunked off a Blatt assist to begin the fourth quarter, Rivero scored a pair inside, Lessort scored in the paint as well, Sloukas hit a jumper and Lessort scored to keep Panathinaikos up 78-70 with 5:06 remaining in regulation time. Papapetrou put in points while Sloukas and Grant did the same to wrap up the win.

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