Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens delivered one of its most complete road performances of the season by flipping the game after halftime and defeating Zalgiris Kaunas 92–85 on Tuesday night at a sold-out Zalgirio Arena.
The first half pointed in a very different direction, as the Lithuanian side controlled the paint and tempo to build a 50–40 halftime lead. Zalgiris finished the opening 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 that allowed Zalgiris’ bigs to finish comfortably. The home crowd fed off that energy as the Greens looked on course for a long night.
Everything shifted after the interval when head coach Ergin Ataman tightened the defensive scheme. Zalgiris managed just 14 points in the third quarter as the visitors closed driving lanes and forced tougher perimeter shots.
At the same time, Cedi Osman took control of the game offensively. After scoring five points in the first half, Osman erupted after the break and finished with a team-high 22 points on an ultra-efficient 8-of-9 shooting in just over 33 minutes.
Two Osman three-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 advantage.
Kendrick Nunn sealed the outcome by scoring seven of his team’s next 10 points. Panathinaikos closed the game on an 11–0 run, turning a tight contest into a controlled finish.
Panathinaikos’ shooting proved decisive against the league’s second-stingiest defense entering the game. 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 a season-low four points. Francisco failed to score after halftime as Zalgiris’ offense stalled under sustained 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 its third straight victory heading into next week’s Greek derby. Zalgiris dropped to 10–8 and now turns its focus to a difficult road trip against league leaders Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv.
