Blums leads Panathinaikos attack in big win over Galatasaray

Six different Greens scored in double figures as Panathinaikos Athens ran past Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 86-77 on Friday night at Olympic Sports Center Athens. The Greek champs improved to 3-2 for a share of third place in Group E, while Galatasaray dropped to 2-3. The game was not as close as the final score would make it appear. Janis Blums hit 3 three-pointers and James Gist rejected a pair of shots in an 11-0 second-quarter run that gave the hosts a 30-13 advantage. It was 42-27 at halftime and Esteban Batista extended the difference into the 20s early in the second half. Panathinaikos led by as many as 25 and was cruising before a late Galatasaray rally drew the visitors as close as 6 in the final minute. Blums finished with 16 points to lead the winners. Dimitris Diamantidis tallied 14 points on 40of-6 three-point shooting plus and 6 assists, Antonis Fotsis posted 12 points and 11 rebounds, Vlantimir Giankovits also scored 12, Esteban Batista 11 and De Marcus Nelson amassed 10 points and 8 assists. Panathinaikos made 14 of 29 three-pointers. Vladimir Micov paced Galatasaray with 16 points, Kerem Gonlum scored 14 and Justin Carter 12.

First quarter: Vets Diamantidis, Fotsis propel Panathinaikos

Diamantidis beat the shot clock for a three-pointer and the game’s first points. Then Giankovits added a triple before Micov got Galatasaray on the scoreboard with a shot from downtown. Fotsis tipped in his own miss to make it 8-3. Sinan Guler drove for a layup, but Fotsis drilled another Panathinaikos three. Diamantidis whipped a great pass to Batista for a layup and a 13-5 lead. Micov responded with a reverse layup, but Eleftherios Bochoridis kept the Greens comfortable ahead. Patric Young and Batista traded scores on the offensive glass. Carlos Arroyo’s long jumper made it 17-11. Nelson drove to create space and dished Batista for a two-handed slam and a 19-11 Panathinaikos advantage after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Blums takes charge as Greens take over

Gonlum backed down Fotsis for his first points, but Blums hit back with Panathinaikos’s fourth triple. Gist rejected Carter and a second Blums three made it 25-13. Nelson drove into the heart of the Galatasaray defense for a layup and Blums made a third three to cap an 11-0 run for a 17-point advantage. Zoran Erceg connected on a long jumper and Martynas Pocius added a three to give Galatasaray hope at 30-18 midway through the quarter. Gist registered another impressive block before Nelson scored in the paint. Arroyo fed Young for an alley-oop slam plus foul. Blums hit another long shot, but this time with a foot on the three-point arc. Erceg picked up points at the charity stripe before Diamantidis and Pocius traded threes. Arroyo turned on the jets for a layup in transition before Blums went into the paint for what become a basket on Carter’s goaltending. Gist drilled a three to leave the hosts ahead 42-27 at the break.

Third quarter: Batista muscles the lead into the 20s

Fotsis started the second half with a three-pointer. Pocius drove for a Galatasaray layup. Batista split free throws and then made a layup as the lead reached 19. Giankovits ran the pick-and-roll with Batista, who finished with a slam and a 50-29 lead. Giankovits free throws and a Nelson triple saw the lead continue to grow despite a Micov layup. Giankovits added 2 more from the line to put the hosts up 25. Carter tried to trigger a Galatasaray run with a three-pointer and soon after a pair of trips to the line to make it 57-38. Gist and Guler traded buckets. Nelson fed Fotsis for an alley-oop slam. Gist recorded his fourth block of the game as the hosts refused to let Galatasaray get any traction. Micov made a pair of free throws at one end and Giankovits did so at the other. Ender Arslan assisted Gonlum to make it 65-46.

Fourth quarter: 0-9 Galatasaray spurt comes too late

Giankovits nailed a three as the Greens looked to be in total control. Gonlum and Carter each scored for the visitors. Diamantidis made a third three and Gonlum scored inside as the Greens’ lead settled safely around 20. Giankovits produced another highlight with a behind-the-back assist to Fotsis for a slam. Arslan hit a three for his first points. Micov made it 74-57 midway through the quarter. Diamantidis connected on another three to restore the 20-point margin. Gonlum reached double digits in points for Galatasaray. Free throws by Micov, an Arslan three and a slam by Young drew the visitors within 79-68. Gonlum completed a 0-9 Galatasaray charge in the next-to-last minute. Diamantidis stopped the drought with a mid-range jumper. Arslan free throws and a Micov triple made the final margin much more palatable for the visitors.