Draper's late heroics lift Lokomotiv to third win
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar improved to 3-1 in Group E by downing Panathinaikos Athens 76-67 at home on Thursday. Lokomotiv remained undefeated at home in the Top 16, while Panathinaikos dropped to 1-3. Dontaye Draper led the winners with 20 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting. Malcolm Delaney added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, while Anthony Randolph scored all of his 11 points in the first half for Lokomotiv. James Feldeine led Panathinaikos with 13 points, Antonis Fotsis and Vladimir Jankovic each added 12 and Miroslav Raduljica had 11 for the visitors. Randolph and Ryan Broekhoff fueled a 12-0 opening run, which Evgeny Voronov capped with a fast break slam. Panathinaikos found a go-to guy in Jankovic, who had 8 points in a 2-16 run that Raduljica capped with a mid-range jumper for a 14-16 edge. The teams were tied at 22-22 after 10 minutes, but Dimitris Diamantidis and Feldeine shined early in the second quarter to make it a double-digit game, 24-36. Andrey Zubkov and Draper rescued Lokomotiv, bringing the hosts within 38-39 at halftime. Delaney and Draper gave Lokomotiv a 53-51 lead after 30 minutes, but Fotsis struck three times from downtown to tie the game at 64-64 with over three minutes left. Panathinaikos struggled to score right when it mattered most, while Draper hit a three-pointer, and another, and yet another one at the buzzer to make sure Lokomotiv won the game down the stretch.
First quarter: Hosts starts strong, but Greens rally
Victor Claver got Lokomotiv going with a layup in transition, which Ryan Broekhoff followed with a three-pointer for a 5-0 lead. Panathinaikos struggled to score for more than three minutes while Randolph followed a jumper with a three-pointer, one from each corner, which caused the Greens to call timeout at 10-0. Evgeny Voronov ignited the crowd with a fast break slam that capped a 12-0 opening run. James Feldeine stepped up with a breakaway dunk and Jankovic added a layup to spark the Greens . After Nick Calathes scored off a midcourt steal, Randolph scored again. A layup by James Gist drew Panathinaikos closer, 14-8. Jankovic struck twice from downtown to tie the game at 14-14. Miroslav Raduljica banked in a mid-range shot to give Panathinaikos its first lead after a 2-16 run. Randolph downed a five-meter jumper and Dontaye Draper bettered Raduljica's layup with a three-pointer for a 19-18 Lokomotiv edge. Jankovic and Antonis Fotsis hit jumpers, but free throws by Broekhoff tied it at 22-22 after 10 minutes.
Second quarter: Lokomotiv falls behind and comes back
Dimitris Diamantidis shined with a driving layup off the baseline and soon added a three-pointer for a 22-27 Panathinaikos lead. Randolph downed a mid-range jumper, but free throws by Ognjen Kuzmic and Fotsis made it a 6-point game. Jankovic hit a stop-and-pop jumper, as Lokomotiv struggled to get Malcolm Delaney involved due to Calathes's great on-the-ball defense. Diamantidis found Gist for a two-handed slam that gave Panathinaikos its first double-digit margin, 24-34. Feldeine nailed a step-back jumper to cap a 0-9 run. Andrey Zubkov tried to change things with a six-meter jumper and a fast break layup. Delaney prompted the Greens to stop the game at 28-36. Draper buried a three-pointer in transition and free throws by Chris Singleton brought Lokomotiv even closer, 33-36. Feldeine and Zubkov exchanged bombs from downtown and a fast break layup by Draper made it 38-39 at halftime.
Third quarter: Delaney puts Lokomotiv on track
Voronov nailed a baseline jumper soon after the break, but Feldeine improved on that with a bomb from downtown for a 40-42 Panathinaikos lead. Broekhoff shined with a fast break layup and free throws by Claver put Lokomotiv back in charge, 44-42. Raduljica hit foul shots, but Chris Singleton beat the shot clock with a five-meter jumper. Panathinaikos tried to open the floor with Fotsis at power forward, but Lokomotiv answered with a more mobile lineup, using Singleton at center. After Sasha Pavlovic split free throws, Voronov made 2 attempts and so did Delaney to make it a 5-point game. Feldeine tried to change things with a bomb from downtown, but Delaney buried his own shot from beyond the arc to keep Lokomotiv in charge. Raduljica split foul shots and a layup by Diamantidis brought Panathinaikos within 53-51.
Fourth quarter: Lokomotiv outguns the Greens
Raduljica hit a jump hook early in the quarter, as Lokomotiv struggled to find a way to the basket. Delaney rescued the hosts with a shot from downtown and Zubkov added a free throw to boost Lokomotiv's lead to 57-53 with seven minutes left. Raduljica made free throws and a three-pointer by Fotsis put Panathinaikos back ahead, 57-58. Delaney hit a technical free throw and Draper struck from downtown to restore a 61-58 Lokomotiv lead. Fotsis buried another one from beyond the arc but so did Zubkov, from way downtown, for a 64-61 score. Fotsis sank another three-pointer, but Draper immediately answered from downtown. Panathinaikos missed 4 consecutive shots from beyond the arc and Draper buried an eight-meter bomb, after which the Greens called timeout in the next-to-last minute. Gist split free throws and another three-pointer by Delaney sealed the outcome, 73-65, as Panathinaikos never recovered.

Thursday, January 21, 2016
Euroleague.net