Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens cruised to its second straight EuroLeague victory, crushing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 102-79 on Wednesday at Telekom Center Athens.
The biggest story of the night was Lefteris Mantzoukas, who delivered a career-best performance to show that he can play a meaningful role in Panathinaikos’ star-studded rotation.
The 23-year-old forward scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range in 22 minutes. After making his EuroLeague return with 10 points and four rebounds in the season-opening win over Paris Basketball, Mantzoukas took another significant step forward against ASVEL.
He immediately looked comfortable. Mantzoukas scored five points early as Panathinaikos opened a 19-11 lead, before Sylvain Francisco took over and helped the hosts finish the opening quarter with a 25-13 advantage.
Mantzoukas then exploded in the second quarter.
He knocked down three consecutive three-pointers, taking his total to 16 points by halftime as Panathinaikos turned the game into a rout. The hosts led 56-34 at the break and never allowed ASVEL to seriously threaten their advantage.
Mantzoukas originally made his EuroLeague debut for Panathinaikos during the 2021-22 season and was part of the team that won the club’s seventh EuroLeague title in 2024. He subsequently spent time on loan before playing in the NCAA last season, returning to Athens this summer as Panathinaikos looked to strengthen its Greek core.
Injuries have opened the door for him early in the season, and he has taken full advantage.
Mantzoukas was not the only Panathinaikos player to make an impact. Francisco led all scorers with 19 points, while Jerian Grant added 13. Mathias Lessort finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Nikos Rogkavopoulos contributed 12 points.
Panathinaikos shot 13-of-26 from three-point range and assisted on 25 of its 37 made field goals. The hosts also dominated the glass 37-29.
ASVEL struggled to match that efficiency, shooting 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. Tremont Waters led the visitors with 14 points, while Joel Bolomboy scored 11 and David Lighty added 10.
Panathinaikos improved to 2-0 and remains unbeaten alongside several other teams at the top of the early EuroLeague standings. ASVEL dropped to 1-1.
Panathinaikos hosts Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv on Friday, while ASVEL welcomes Valencia Basket.
