The 28th round of the EuroLeague saw Panathinaikos rally past Armani Milano on the road (83-95) and make a huge play-off step.
All major sporting events are on ESPN+. Sign up here for a free one-week trial and enjoy the top teams and athletes in action only on ESPN+
After a close first half (47-44), the “Greens” went on a 0-13 run between the third and the fourth quarter and never looked back. They outscored the Italians 36-51 in the second half and cruised to an easy victory.
Five players scored in double figures for the winners, with Nick Calathes making one of the best performances of his career (27 points, 13/22 shooting, eight rebounds, 14 assists, PIR of 39).
Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mike James were the best players of the losing squad, with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Panathinaikos improved to 15-13 and also has the tie-breaker over Armani Milano, which dropped to 14-14.
Baskonia defeated Real Madrid at home (86-76) and boosted its chances to reach the playoffs.
The Basques took the lead from the opening tip, yet they didn’t secure their win until the final minute.
Five players scored in double figures for the winners, with Luca Vildoza (20 points) and Vincent Poirier (19 points, 16 rebounds) leading the way.
On the other hand, only Trey Thompkins (17 points) and Jaycee Carroll (16 points) scored in double figures for the losing squad.
Baskonia improved to 15-13, whereas Real Madrid dropped to 21-7, but has already qualified to the playoffs.
Zalgiris Kaunas decimated Darussafaka at home (94-67) and remained alive in the play-off race.
The Lithuanians took the lead from the second quarter onwards and never looked back. Playing excellent offensively, they crushed their opponents and now they will face Olympiacos in Piraeus on Friday (29/03) in a must-win game.
Five players scored in double figures for the winners, with Brandon Davies posting a team-high 13 points.
Jeremy Evans was the best player of the losing squad, with 14 points and five rebounds.
Zalgiris Kaunas improved to 13-15, whereas Darussafaka dropped to 4-24.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv came back from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter and dominated Khimki for three quarters to earn the victory in Moscow and maintain a play-off push (71-76).
Michael Roll and Johnny O’Bryant stood out for the winners, with 17 and 16 points, respectively. On the other hand, Alexey Shved (17 points, but 5/20 shooting) and Jordan Mickey (14 points) did their best for the losing squad.
Maccabi improved to 13-15, whereas Khimki dropped to 9-19.
*Yiannis Bouranis is an affiliate partner of ESPN and is being compensated for the use of ESPN+ affiliate links. The opinions expressed in his posts are his own.
