The Belgrade Arena rose to its feet before tipoff. Partizan fans applauded Zeljko Obradovic, the coach who gave them so many memorable nights, returning this time from the opposing bench. It was the only warm moment for him. After that, his Panathinaikos played a cold, uncompromising game, won 55-72, and remains undefeated in the EuroLeague with five wins in five games, the first of them on the road.
The key was defense. Joan Peñarroya's Partizan didn't exceed 55 points and shot just 2 of 12 from three-point range. In the third quarter, they scored only 8 points. The first quarter was even: the Serbs led 11-6 and a suspension by Mathias Lessort at the buzzer left it 16-16. In the second, Nigel Hayes-Davis and Juancho Hernangómez sustained the Greek offense, and back-to-back three-pointers by Hayes-Davis closed the first half at 28-35.
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Eleven Straight Points
The game broke open after halftime. Guerschon Yabusele opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, Nikos Rogkavopoulos and Grant added two more, and an 11-0 run pushed the lead to 20 points (31-51). Panathinaikos' French players—Lessort, Moustapha Fall, and Yabusele—took over the paint while Partizan turned the ball over. The quarter ended 36-55 with Hayes-Davis, who had 14 points, leading the Greeks.
Partizan tried to respond early in the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run (41-55), and Obradovic called for calm on the bench. A three-pointer cut short any comeback attempt (41-58), and the rest was a formality. Juancho, in his return, showed several highlights: a dunk off an assist from Lessort, a three-pointer, and a basket off an offensive rebound.