Barcelona won at the Telekom Center in Athens, one of Europe's toughest venues, in a game they trailed by 10 minutes. Panathinaikos, coached by Željko Obradović, led 57-43 at the end of the third quarter, but Barcelona, despite missing key players, turned it around in the fourth quarter with Justin Robinson. The American point guard scored the final 13 points for his team, including the game-winning three-pointer with 4.4 seconds remaining.
Even First Half
Panathinaikos started strong with a 7-0 run, but Barcelona tied it before the end of the first quarter (17-17). In the second, Kendrick Nunn, who reached 10 points before halftime, gave the Greeks a seven-point advantage (31-24). Joel Parra and Robinson responded with back-to-back three-pointers and the teams went into halftime at 33-32.
Panathinaikos Breaks the Game Open in the Third Quarter
After halftime, Panathinaikos came out with a 7-0 run and tightened their defense: Barcelona turned the ball over six times in the third quarter and made very few three-pointers. With two three-pointers from Sylvain Francisco and a basket from Nigel Hayes-Davis, the Greeks went up 14 points (57-43), and the third quarter ended 24-11.
Read also:
- Panathinaikos Stands Alone Atop EuroLeague
- Barcelona Defeats Río Breogán (99-91)
- Huertas Says Goodbye and Pedro Martínez Ties Aíto
Robinson in the Fourth Quarter
Panathinaikos still led by 13 early in the fourth quarter (62-49), but Barcelona went on a 17-4 run with Tyrese Martin and Robinson. With 3:32 remaining, the score was 66-63. The Greeks went nearly two minutes without scoring. Joshua Nebo blocked a dunk attempt and Robinson tied it at 66. Then, two free throws from Robinson gave Barcelona their first lead since the opening 0-2 (66-68).
The finish was back-and-forth. Francisco and Hayes-Davis responded with two three-pointers, but Robinson answered with another and a basket with 31 seconds left (72-73). Hayes-Davis put Panathinaikos back ahead with 20 seconds to play (74-73). On Barcelona's final possession, Robinson hit a three-pointer with 4.4 seconds remaining, and Panathinaikos failed to get off a shot on their last possession.
Robinson finished with 24 points. For Panathinaikos, Nunn scored 15 and surpassed Nick Calathes as the club's third all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague history. Willy Hernangómez started for Obradović's team.
Barcelona improves to 8-3, tied with Panathinaikos, Valencia, and Olympiacos at the top of the standings. They now have a day and a half to prepare for Sunday's game against Monbus Obradoiro at the Palau. Next week they host Red Star Belgrade's Ibon Navarro in EuroLeague.