2020-21Regular SeasonRound 24
Olympiacos Piraeus 77
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 88
February 05, 2021 CET: 20:00
Local time: 21:00 PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP STADIUM

The Greens sink the Reds in Greek derby

In one of basketball’s biggest rivalries, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens ruled the glass and had a perfect night from the free throw line to take a 77-88 road win over archrival Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday night. The Greens registered its fourth win in the last six games to improve to 9-14, while Olympiacos lost its fourth straight to drop to 11-13. Panathinaikos took the lead for good with a 0-13 first quarter run, and used its offensive rebounding and baskets from Eleftherios Bochoridis to remain in front. Howard Sant-Roos helped the Greens pulled away to a 13-point margin in the third quarter, and despite Olympiacos repeatedly threatening to come back behind Shaquielle McKissic, Panathinaikos used key baskets from Konstantinos Mitoglou and a calm hand from the free throw line to pull out the victory. Sant-Roos paced Panathinaikos with 20 points and 5 assists, while Mitoglou and Bochoridis scored 15 apiece. Aaron White collected 12 points plus 7 rebounds, and Ben Bentil scored 10 in a winning effort for the Greens who were without top scorer Nemanja Nedovic. McKissic netted 20 points for the hosts, and Hassan Martin scored 11.

Sant-Roos fueled the Greens offense early, and Ioannis Papapetrou hit a second-chance triple. After a dunk-plus foul from White, a three-pointer from Sant-Roos capped a 0-13 run and opened a 7-17 lead. However, Charles Jenkins and McKissic answered with back-to-back triples to spark an 8-0 run, and McKissic added another one to get Olympiacos within 18-19. The Greens remained in front, however, and an alley-oop dunk from Georgios Papagiannis helped Panathinaikos open a 21-27 lead. Livio Jean-Charles knocked down a three-pointer for the Reds, and Kostas Sloukas made a tough runner to cut it within 1 point, but Bochoridis scored 7 points in the second quarter, including a triple, to keep the visitors in front, before Bentil and Papagiannis opened 30-38. However, Olympiacos scored the last 5 points of the half, including McKissic finishing a fast break with a dunk-plus-foul, making it 35-38 at halftime.

Panathinaikos scored the first 7 points of the third quarter, including a three-pointer from Sant-Roos, and the same player knocked down another one from downtown to open a 37-48 lead. Aaron Harrison twice took it to the rim for the hosts, and Georgios Printezis had a floater-plus foul, but a triple from Leonidas Kaselakis opened a 44-57 lead. McKissic had a runner-plus-foul, before Vassilis Spanoulis hit a long triple and then fed Martin for a layup to close within 54-59. Panathinaikos took a 7-point lead into the fourth quarter, but a second-chance triple from McKissic at the start of the fourth helped Olympiacos close within 59-61. However, Sant-Roos answered with another triple to restore breathing room, and Panathinaikos continued ruling the glass with Mitoglou's tip-in helping a 0-7 run. Octavius Ellis scored close-range baskets on consecutive possessions, but a corner triple from Mitoglou made it 64-73 midway through the fourth quarter. McKissic hit a three on the other end, and after baskets from Bentil and Bochoridis, Sloukas and White traded triples to make it 72-80. Sloukas hit a pair of jumper to give Olympiacos hope, but Panathinaikos kept their cool to close the game out.

Key contributors

The Panathiniakos backcourt pair of Howard Sant-Roos and Eleftherios Bochoridis both had their best EuroLeague games. Sant-Roos scored a career-high 20 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting, and Bochoridis had 15 points, eclipsing a previous career-high of 12 points set last week in a win over Valencia Basket.

Perfect free throws

Panathinaikos was perfect from the free throw line, making all 25 attempts. That ties for the second most free throws made without a miss in EuroLeague history, behind only Real Madrid’s 34-for-34 in March 2002 against Ural Great.

Stats story

Apart from making 25-of-25 free throws, while Olympiacos made just 11-of-19, another key to the Greens win was its rebounding dominance. Panathinaikos outrebounded the hosts 39-26, including 16-9 on the offensive glass.

Road split

This was the seventh time Olympiacos and Panatinaikos have played each other twice in the same season, and only the second time the teams split their series with road wins. Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos 71-78 in Round 2. The only previous time the Greek rivals exchanged road wins in the same season was the 2017-18 campaign.

Next up

The teams are now a one-week break before they return for Round 25, when both will be on the road. Olympiacos will visit Anadolu Efes Istanbul (13-10) on Thursday, February 18, and Panathinaikos will travel to play CSKA Moscow (16-8) a day later.

Howard Sant-Roos - Panathinaikos OPAP Athens - EB20
Friday, February 5, 2021
Euroleague.net
Referees: RADOVIC, SRETEN; CORTES, CARLOS; VILIUS, GYTIS
Attendance: 0
By Quarter1234
Olympiacos Piraeus18171923
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens21172327
End of Quarter1234
Olympiacos Piraeus18355477
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens21386188
Olympiacos Piraeus
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 NIKOLAIDIS, ALEXANDROS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 HARRISON, AARON 17:51 6 3/7 0/2               1   1 1 1
4 CHARALAMPOPOULOS, VASILIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 LARENTZAKIS, GIANNOULIS 11:05 2 1/1 0/1     2 2     1     5 1 -2
7 SPANOULIS, VASSILIS 15:01 4 0/2 1/4 1/2   1 1 6   4     1 1 1
11 SLOUKAS, KOSTAS 24:42 9 3/8 1/3 0/1   1 1 6   3   1 2 1 3
12 MARTIN, HASSAN 26:25 11 5/6   1/3 1 1 2   2     1 3 2 10
15 PRINTEZIS, GEORGIOS 26:10 8 3/4 0/3 2/4 1 1 2 1   2       6 9
17 JEAN-CHARLES, LIVIO 13:50 5   1/2 2/2 2 1 3   1   1   2 1 8
22 JENKINS, CHARLES 22:23 5 1/1 1/1         1         2   4
32 ELLIS, OCTAVIUS 13:35 7 3/3   1/1 2 1 3     2     4 2 6
77 MCKISSIC, SHAQUIELLE 28:58 20 2/5 4/8 4/6   5 5 2 1 3 1   2 6 21
Team           3 4 7     1         6
Totals 200:00 77 21/37 8/24 11/19 9 17 26 16 4 16 3 2 22 21 67
        56.8% 33.3% 57.9%
Head coach: BARTZOKAS, GEORGIOS
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
0 MACK, SHELVIN 3:54     0/1             2     1   -4
6 PAPAGIANNIS, GEORGIOS 22:18 8 3/5   2/2 1 3 4 3 1 2 2   3 1 12
7 BOCHORIDIS, ELEFTHERIOS 19:03 15 4/4 1/2 4/4 2 2 4 1 1 1     5 4 18
8 AUGUSTE, ZACH DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 PAPAPETROU, IOANNIS 35:03 5 1/7 1/6   4 5 9 5 1 5   2 1 1 2
12 DIPLAROS, NIKOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 KASELAKIS, LEONIDAS 3:03 3   1/1     1 1           2   2
17 FOSTER, MARCUS FRANKLEE 8:19   0/2 0/1         1   1   1   1 -3
30 WHITE, AARON 31:52 12 2/6 1/3 5/5 4 3 7 2 2       3 2 16
44 MITOGLOU, KONSTANTINOS 31:41 15 3/4 1/3 6/6 2 4 6     2     2 6 20
50 BENTIL, BEN 19:39 10 3/4 0/1 4/4 2 3 5   2 2     3 3 13
74 SANT-ROOS, HOWARD 25:08 20 2/5 4/6 4/4   2 2 5 2       1 4 27
Team           1   1               1
Totals 200:00 88 18/37 9/24 25/25 16 23 39 17 9 15 2 3 21 22 104
        48.6% 37.5% 100%
Head coach: KATTASH, ODED

Head Coaches

BARTZOKAS, GEORGIOS
Olympiacos Piraeus
"Obviously a very bad night tonight. The expectations for our performances, from our fans, players, from me, were much higher than what we presented on the court. Our performance was really poor, especially defensively. We entered the game so soft, allowing everything. So players like Sant-Roos and Bochoridis took confidence from this, and they played a really good game. They deserved to win, we didn't deserve any better from this game. We need to work hard, we need to change our approach, and to get better. That is the only thing we can do."
KATTASH, ODED
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

"We were missing Nemanja Nedovic, but a lot of respect to the players that stepped up. We were using bigger lineups, and we were struggling in the first half. We had to slow down, we usually play with a better tempo. We built the game plan according to our defense. I am really proud of the players, for the way they executed and for their effort."

"Obviously, it is special for us. Not only a win, but playing in the Greek derby, where victories are always special. Two things were really important. The way we started the game, to help us build the confidence. Without Nedovic, we knew we would be in bigger lineups, and we built the game plan according to that. I am happy that it worked well for us, and good work for the players to execute that. Also, the effort, with 16 offensive rebounds. Olympiacos had some runs, and we showed some character there. We missed Nedovic, but our guards stepped up and filled that role. Sometime it was not the best basketball to watch, but it was really effective for us. The free throws are great numbers, pretty unique and special, but for me the way we answered on the rebounding, we used our fouls smartly, we were communicating, we were aggressive, for me that showed me the players are ready. We cannot control making shots, but what we can control is the effort, and that is what we ask from the players, especially in the games like this. I am happy they stepped up to the occasion."

Players

BOCHORIDIS, ELEFTHERIOS
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
"I am just feeling good, feeling good playing on the court. Lately, I am taking more chances, I have the ball more in my hands. I am trying to do my best, and I am very happy we also have the results. Nedovic is maybe the most important player for us. It was very bad we did not have him here, but I think we all tried to play for him, and I am happy we did it."
SANT-ROOS, HOWARD
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
"We brought the energy. We knew how important this is for the rivalry, Olympiacos against Panathinaikos. We needed this, the guys needed this for so long, and we played as tough as we can."