Olympiacos and Panathinaikos continue their winning streak in Greek Basket League. All 8 games reviewed below

Kolossos Rhodes- Panionios 75-64

Kolossos was in great shape and dominated against Panionios, who was struggling throughout the game. Good start for the Rhodians, who faced no difficulty in finding their way to the basket, and they took a good 20-14 lead by the end of the 1st quarter. Panionios reacted and managed to equalize the score, 26-26. But from then on the home team took the lead and held it unti lthe end. 38-28 was the halftime score.

Panionios offensive defecit continued through the 3rd quarter, when Kolosso focused more on offense, trying to hold on to their lead. McCollum did his best to keep his team on the game, but Kolossos met no difficulties and after 30 minutes they were leading 57-48. Panionios tried one last time to make the comeback during the 4th, but they could not reach closer that 7 points, and finally the home team got a very important win. Tsamis had 17 points and was the leader for Kolossos while McCollum had 26 and was the only man standing for the visitors.

Ilissiakos- Aris 51-63

Aris’ good defense and offensive patience, gave them the win, sinking Ilissiakos to the bottom of the Table. The visitors took the lead from early on playing stong defense inside the paint and allowing Ilissiakos 11 points at the opening quarter (11-17). The home team tried to turn things around but Aris insisted on his tight defensive work and secured, even increased his lead by halftime, 20-31.

The second half was totally different since the away side started the half more relaxed while Ilissiakos was making his final stand in the game. They scored 24 points in 10 minutes and overtook Aris 44-43 by the buzzer, but from then on they collapsed. They did not score for 10 minutes (29′-39′) and as a result, they lost the game and now it is almost sure that they will not avoid relegation. Athinaiou scored 17 points for Aris and was the MVP.

Apollon Patras- A.O. Trikala 67-74

Comeback win for Trikala on the road against Apollon. The home team achieved to take control of the game, and a small 21-16 lead by the 10th minute, and by having good offensive flow and scoring easy points, they ended up leading 40-28 by halftime.

From then on, Trikala tried to react, and they cut the lead to 5 by the end of the 3rd quarter, 50-45, and they overtook Apollon at the 35th minute, 59-60. From then on they never gave up on the lead and finally got a difficult win, which was their first away win for this season. Great game for Ewing who scored 14 and was the Trikala leader.

P.A.O.K.- A.E.Neas Kifissias 92-83 e.t. (74-74)

PAOK needed 45 minutes to beat Kifissia, and now focuses on the next week’s game against Panionios for the 3rd position. Home team had the upper hand right from the start, achieving a plus 3 lead by the end of the 1st quarter, 24-21. Kifissia tried to react but they neglected their defence, allowing PAOK to take full control of the game and finally ending the half in front 45-36.

The away side tried to react, but PAOK was well prepared, used his defence as primary weapon and despite intense AENK’s effort, the score after 30′ was 59-52. The 4th quarter was very intense since Kifissia took the lead and Charalambides scored 2/2 free throws and sent the game to overtime.

PAOK guard stepped up and scored 12 out of 18 points in extra time for his team, and Dikefalos emerged victorious. He was also crowned MVP with 29 points.

Ikaros Chalkidas- Panathinaikos 64-85

Panathinaikos appeared tired after the game versus Fenerbache, Ikaros made his stand for 20′ but the Greens escaped Chalkida with the win. First quarter found Panathinaikos missing almost every shot behind the arc but grabbing the rebounds and the score at the end of it was 19-22. The game was more intense and quick during the second quarter, with both teams focusing on offense, something that helped Ikaros since they were more fresh and effective, allowing them to go to the locker rooms with a positive score, 42-42.

As usually, Panathinaikos played tight defense after the break and made correct offensive choices, sky rocketing the lead to 15, (53-68), until the end of the 3rd period. Ikaros could not follow and the visitors had an easy closing quarter, securing the win. MVP was Bramos with 16 points.

A.G.O.Rethimno- K.A.O.Dramas 77-72

KAOD’s 4-games winning streak came to an end in Creta, where Rethimno with the help of their fans dominated the game. AGOR set the pace from early on, with tight defense and got a good lead 20-14 after 10′. KAOD seemed to have stayed in the locker rooms, since they did not respond to their opponent’s pressure, missed many shots from inside the pint, and AGOR took advantage of it, and created a safe lead 43-27 at halftime.

Coach Nenad Marcovic’s instructions worked since KAOD got in the game determined to make a comeback. They tried to cut the lead and they achieved to become withing striking distance, but before the quarter ended, the home team performed a run to incease the gap to 12, 58-46. During the last quarter, the visitors tried to reduce the gap again but they did not, and AGOR got an important win. Great game for Gabriel, who scored 26 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Olympiacos- Panelefsiniakos 94-64

Panelefsiniakos was no match for the European Champions, since the Reds were focused when needed and got a very easy win. The visitors only lasted 10 minutes, staying close to the Reds 20-17. From then on, Olympiacos put more effort on offense and dominated the paint, closing the half in front 44-32.

The Reds did not step off the throttle and the 3rd quarter was the one that put the game to bed since the partial score was 28-15 and let the visitors trailing 72-47. The remaining period had nothing special to offer since Panelefsiniakos had given up, and the buzzer found Olympiacos celebrating their 20th win. Youngster Papapetrou shined for the winning team, with 17 points.

#TeamMPWDLSFSADPLast 5 matches
1Panathinaikos22210117181368+35043WWWWW
2Olympiakos Piraeus22200218011407+39440WWWWW
3Panionios22150716311547+8437LWWLL
4PAOK Saloniki22140817361657+7936WLWWL
5AE NEA Kifisia221201015911595-434LWLWL
6KAO Dramas221101116621684-2233LWWWW
7AO Aiolos Trikallon22901316201672-5231WWLWL
8A.G.O Rethymno22901316631734-7131WLWLW
9Apollon Patras22901315901638-4831LWLWL
10Aris BC22901314871535-4831WLLLW
11Kolossos22801415191629-11030WLLLW
12Panelefsiniakos AOK22601614961676-18028LLLLL
13Ikaros Halkidas22601615581777-21928LLWLW
14Ilysiakos Athens22501715091662-15327LLLLL