DeShaun Thomas Panathinaikos
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball

Panathinaikos OPAP won 87:82 against Crvena Zvezda in the first round of the EuroLeague in Athens, Greece.

The crowd in Athens had a chance to see James Gist (who played for the Greens for 7 successful years) again, but now as the player of the Serbian club. Also, it was probably an emotional visit for Stratos Perperoglou, who started his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos.

The aforementioned players were two of the three from Crvena Zvezda with a double-digit score, but it wasn’t enough for the team from Belgrade to celebrate in Greece. Gist was the best against his ex-club with 22 points and 7 rebounds (index rating of 17), while Perperoglou added 15 points, same as his teammate Billy Baron (5 rebounds, 6 assists).

The two players were amazing in PanathinaikosDeshaun Thomas and Nick Calathes. Thomas was the best with 18 points and 11 rebounds (index rating of 25) and Calathes was the best scorer with 21 points. One of the best Greek guards and a member of the national team also had 7 assists. Tyrese Rice ended the match with 12 points, while Jimmer Fredette scored 11 points.

In the next round of the EuroLeague, Crvena Zvezda will host Fenerbahce, while Panathinaikos is traveling to France to play against ASVEL.