Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens maintained its perfect start to the 2026-27 EuroLeague season with a commanding 92-74 victory over Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul on Thursday at Telekom Center Athens, handing the reigning title contenders their first defeat of the campaign.
Panathinaikos improved to 4-0, joining Valencia Basket as the only unbeaten teams in the standings after four rounds. Fenerbahce dropped to 3-1 despite entering the matchup with three consecutive victories.
The opening quarter suggested a much closer contest. The teams traded baskets through seven lead changes in the first 10 minutes, with Konstantinos Mitoglou, Guerschon Yabusele, Nigel Hayes-Davis and Sylvain Francisco contributing for the hosts, while Talen Horton-Tucker, Braxton Key and Will Clyburn kept Fenerbahce within reach.
Francisco helped change the momentum midway through the second quarter, scoring seven points in an 89-second stretch. Panathinaikos used that burst to establish control and carried its advantage into the second half, gradually turning an initially competitive game into a one-sided affair.
Nikos Rogkavopoulos then delivered another decisive spell in the third quarter, scoring eight points in less than two minutes as the hosts extended their lead into double digits. Fenerbahce never seriously threatened afterward, despite Johnny Juzang scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Panathinaikos had five players score at least eight points, led by Hayes-Davis and Mathias Lessort with 19 apiece. Francisco added 17 points and seven assists, while Rogkavopoulos finished with 10 points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from two-point range and 3-of-3 at the free-throw line.
Lessort recorded eight rebounds and a game-high performance index rating of 30, while Hayes-Davis added four rebounds and three steals. Panathinaikos finished with 20 assists and eight steals, committing 10 turnovers.
The hosts made 25 of 40 two-point attempts (62.5%) and converted 21 of 32 free throws. Fenerbahce, by comparison, shot 19-of-36 from two-point range (52.8%) and 9-of-30 from three-point range (30%), while committing 17 turnovers.
Panathinaikos travels to face Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade next Tuesday, while Fenerbahce returns home to host Zalgiris Kaunas on the same day.
