Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens produced one of its most complete away performances of the season by turning the match around after halftime to beat Zalgiris Kaunas 92-85 in a sold-out Zalgirio Arena on Tuesday evening.
The first half pointed in a very different direction, as the Lithuanian squad controlled the paint and pace to build a 50-40 lead at halftime. Zalgiris finished the first 20 minutes shooting 17 of 28 on two-point attempts, repeatedly attacking the rim with little resistance.
Panathinaikos struggled defensively before the break, conceding open lanes and late rotations, allowing the Zalgiris bigs to finish comfortably. The home crowd fed off that energy as the Greens looked on course for a long night.
Everything changed after the break when head coach Ergin Ataman tightened the defensive plan. Zalgiris scored just 14 points in the third quarter as the visitors closed the lanes and forced harder perimeter shots.
At the same time, Cedi Osman took control of the match offensively. After scoring five points in the first half, Osman erupted after the break, finishing with a team-high 22 points on ultra-efficient 8-of-9 shooting in just over 33 minutes.
Two Osman 3-pointers late in the third quarter cut the deficit to 64-63 heading into the final period. He then opened the fourth with another triple, followed by a mid-range jumper, before his fifth three of the night gave Panathinaikos a 71-68 lead.
Kendrick Nunn sealed the outcome by scoring seven of his team’s next 10 points. Panathinaikos closed the match with an 11-0 run, turning a close match into a controlled finish.
Panathinaikos’ shooting proved decisive against the league’s second-sharpest defense entering the match. The visitors knocked down 13 of 22 three-pointers, including 9 of 14 in the second half, and became the first team to score 90 points at Zalgirio Arena this season.
Defensively, Ataman’s team also neutralized Sylvain Francisco, holding the in-form guard to four points on the season. Francisco failed to score after halftime, as Zalgiris’ attack came to a standstill under persistent pressure.
Moses Wright led Zalgiris with 22 points on his birthday. Nigel Williams-Goss added 17.
The win moved Panathinaikos to 12-6 and marked their third straight win heading into next week’s Greek derby. Zalgiris fell to 10-8 and now turns its focus to a tough road trip against league leaders Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv.
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