Baskonia left Athens with another defeat, but also with the feeling of having competed against one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. Dusko Perasovic's team fell ten points behind in the third quarter, tied at 79 in the fourth, and only surrendered to two three-pointers from Panathinaikos in the final minute (85-79). With this result, the Vitoria side drops to 1-6, while Panathinaikos rebounds from their first loss and improves to 6-1.
Even First Half
The game went back and forth in the opening twenty minutes. Panathinaikos led early, but Baskonia took the lead by the end of the first quarter (20-21). The Greeks regained control in the second, with Nigel Hayes-Davis scoring 14 points before halftime, and went into the locker room with a narrow advantage (43-40).
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Baskonia's Comeback and the Final Response
The third quarter was the worst stretch for the Vitoria side, who scored just 14 points. Panathinaikos built a ten-point lead (57-47) and entered the fourth quarter up 63-54. But Baskonia refused to quit. They opened the period with a 5-0 run and kept pressing until getting within three (69-66). The game tied at 72, and then Lessort appeared: seven straight points from the French center made it 79-72.
Baskonia answered back with a 0-7 run to tie the game at 79. The Greek response came from beyond the arc. Francisco hit a three-pointer with 1:09 remaining (82-79), and Yabusele sealed it with another three-pointer seconds later (85-79). Baskonia had free throws with 32 seconds left, but couldn't get closer.
Lessort finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds, Hayes-Davis with 18 and 7 rebounds, Kendrick Nunn with 11, and Francisco with 10 points and 11 assists. For Baskonia, Matteo Spagnolo was the leading scorer with 16 points.