Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens snapped a four-game losing streak Thursday, edging Zalgiris Kaunas 92-88 at Telekom Center Athens. The comeback was fueled by the long-awaited return of Mathias Lessort, playing his first EuroLeague game since a severe leg injury in 2025.
Lessort scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished a critical assist in 23 minutes, immediately impacting both ends of the court. His presence helped Panathinaikos dominate inside, outrebounding Zalgiris 30-23 over the final three quarters.
Cedi Osman led the scoring with 24 points on perfect shooting, while Kendrick Nunn added 22. Kostas Sloukas also made a key contribution with an eight-point run to close the third quarter.
The game remained competitive throughout, with Zalgiris rallying late to cut the margin to 85-82 entering the final minute. Panathinaikos executed a decisive play, feeding Lessort in the post who found Juancho Hernangomez for a crucial basket with 45 seconds remaining.
Panathinaikos scored efficiently inside with 26 of 50 two-point attempts and relied on balanced team play despite making only five three-pointers. The Greens also converted 25 of 29 free throws for 86.2 percent, maintaining a steady edge over the visitors.
For Zalgiris, Sylvain Francisco tallied 23 points, and Moses Wright contributed 12, but the team struggled to match Panathinaikos’ paint presence and ball movement.
The win improved Panathinaikos to 17-14, tying Zalgiris but holding the head-to-head advantage, which could be crucial in the final EuroLeague standings. Lessort’s return provides a renewed inside-outside threat as the Greens look to finish the season strong.
Panathinaikos will host Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on March 20, while Zalgiris welcomes Real Madrid the same day.
