Game 4 of the final series, PAOK beats Panionios and wins the 3rd position while the series between the rivals, will go to the 5th game. Read what happened here:
P.A.O.K.- Panionios 84-80
PAOK finished 3rd this season, beating Panionios in PAOK Sports Arena, concluding a successful year, while Panionios fought hard but did not get the win on the road. Away side had control of the game from the first minute, got a 3-12 lead, and finally closed the first quarter in the driver’s position, 20-27. From that point on, PAOK played defense, cut the lead and got back in the game, took the lead several times and kept it until the end of the half, 43-41.
Panionios players fought hard knowing that this game was their last chance to hold on to the 3rd place they had last season, so they appeared very strong in the second half, finding big shots and controlling the game, with Marc Carter leading the way for them. The home team only got a +6 lead that they soon lost and the quarter came to an end 62-60. The heartbreaking 4th period found Panionios trying to build a lead but PAOK having an answer for everything. Both clubs were in charge more than 5 times during the last 10 minutes, until the home team got in front 80-77, 25’’ before the end. Marc Carter tried to react for Panionios but he did not manage to give his team the win. Kostas Charalabidis scored 25 points and was the MVP of the game, while on the other side, Duvnjak scored 18.
Olympiacos- Panathinaikos 65-67
Olympiacos was not focused enough, their opponents played with determination and that led Panathinaikos to equalize the series score to 2-2 and take advantage for the upcoming Final at OAKA. The low pace and intense defense was the key factor at the beginning, with Olympiacos missing many shots, scoring 16 points and allowing Panathinaikos to have the upper hand. 16-19 was the score after 10’. The “Greens” had the momentum and with Vladimir Jankovits leading the way, they built a good 30-43 lead at half time. Olympiacos had very bad shot totals, and many turnovers.
After the break, not many things changed, with the home side scoring with better totals but Lasme was dominating the paint, keeping his team’s lead to over 5 points at all time. 45-57 was the score with 10 minutes remaing. Coach Bartzokas put more emphasis on his team offensive part, and with Dunston scoring some easy points from inside, Olympiacos came closer to their rivals. Spanoulis missed a shot with 2” left to send the game to overtime, and Panathinaikos made the break and now are one step away from the title. Lasme scored 17 for Panathinaikos while Dunston scored 15p. with 7 rebounds.