Panathinaikos is in a league of its own—even with a depleted roster!
In their season opener in front of approximately 14,000 fans at the “Telekom Center,” Zeljko Obradovic’s team routed Eurocup champion Burg, as part of the “P. Giannakopoulos” tournament.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Countdown to the Panathinaikos derby
It was an emotional evening, as it marked “Zoc’s” triumphant return amid a standing ovation, as well as a tribute to the late administrative leader of the “Greens,” whose memory was honored by the entire Panathinaikos team.
On the court, the “seven-star” team came out fighting, kept Burg at bay thanks to their effective defense, and pulled away by a wide margin early on, treating their fans to an enjoyable performance.
It was an impressive showing by Panathinaikos, which got solid contributions from many players on both ends of the court. The game’s top performer was Matías Lesor with 15 points and 7 rebounds, while Silven Francisco had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Lefteris Mantzoukas scored 12 points (4 three-pointers), while Dinos Mitoglou had 10 points. Branko Bandio had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Gerson Yabusele had 9 points and 6 rebounds.
Panathinaikos will now face PAOK in Saturday’s championship game (8:00 p.m.), while Bourges will play Partizan in the third-place game (5:00 p.m.). Centric Nan, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Kostas Sloukas, Nikos Rogavopoulos, Moustapha Fall, and Dimitris Moraitis did not play.
*photo source: KYPE
