Dominant performance by Panathinaikos, show by Bacon and 2/2 in Devil’s Week

Panathinaikos took the lead from the first minute of the game, easily beating Villeurbanne 77-58 in the EuroLeague Game 10 game. The Greens, despite weakness in the last stretch, didn’t let the slightest mistake from the French go to waste and improved their record to 4-6, making it 2/2 in Devil’s Week and claiming their third straight win at the OAKA.

The MVP

There is no doubt who was Panathinaikos’ most valuable player. His name is Dwayne Bacon. The American forward finished the game with 25 points (6/9 2 points, 3/4 3 points, 4/4 shots), a career best (he had 23 against Olympiakos on 4/27/21 at SEF in last year’s play-offs) and it was he who ignited the spark to breakthrough, accumulating 12 points after the break until the 24th minute.

The weak link

Retin Obasohan couldn’t help Villeurbanne at all. He was down for almost 25 minutes, scoring only 5 points (2/5 2-pointers, 0/2 2-pointers, 1/1 shot) and committing 2 fouls.

The stat that stood out

The points the trefoil took from Villerban’s 17 errors reached 21, while a further 11 points were scored in the upset, an example of the team’s very good defensive function.

The race

The very poor result of the first period (15-11) was a result of the slow pace favored by both teams. The Greens were by far the better team considering Villeurbanne had no assists and was unable to capitalize on the 4 offensive rebounds he amassed.

Panathinaikos, who mastered all the basics well and without any blackmail situations (12/24 doubles, 3/8 trebles), went into the dressing room with a 15-point difference (39-24, 20′). Dejan Radonic’s side took 15 points from 10 French errors in the first half and another six points in a surprise situation.

When Dwayne Bacon returned to the court in an unimaginable state, scoring 12 points in 4 minutes, the difference for the Shamrocks rose to +25 (54-29) while they reached the margins of 30 (66-57) by the end of the game third quarter.

The Greens showed the first signs of relaxation in the fourth period, allowing Villeurbanne to reduce their lead to 17 (72:55, 37). However, that spelling mistake doesn’t detract from the overall performance of the Cloverleaf, which was quite strong tonight.

THE REFEREES: Perez, Rizic, Travitsky

THE DECADES: 15-11, 39-24, 66-37, 77-58

PANATHINAICOS (Radonits): P. Kalaitzakis 3 (1), Walters 5 (1), Lee 7 (2/3 two-pointers, 1/6 three-pointers, 4 assists), Papagiannis 9 (3/5 two-pointers, 1 /3 trebles, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls), Williams 8 (2/4 3s, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), G. Kalaitzakis 2, Bacon 25 (6/9 2-pointers, 3/4 3-pointers, 4/4 shots, 3 rebounds)Ponitka 10 (1/4 2-pointers, 1/1 3-pointers, 5/7 shots, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals), Mandzoukas, Gudaitis 6 (6 rebounds)

Villerban (Parker): Matthews 7 (1/5 2-pointers, 1/4 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers), Noah, Kahudi, Tyus 10 (9 rebounds), Risace 4 (3 rebounds), De Colo 7 (1/4 2-pointers, 1/2 3-pointers, 2/2 shots, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Fall 9 (7 rebounds), Lighty 2, Obasohan 5, Jackson-Cartwright 3 (5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers), Pons 11 (1)

Panathinaikos team statistics: 17/36 two-pointers, 10/22 three-pointers, 13/15 shots, 35 rebounds (28 defense + 7 offense), 18 assists, 9 steals, 14 errors, 4 blocks.

Villeurbannes team statistics: 21/48 two-pointers, 3/18 three-pointers, 7/10 shots, 40 rebounds (25 defense + 15 offense), 11 assists, 4 steals, 17 errors, 3 blocks.

The next games of the two teams: On Matchday 11, Panathinaikos will play Zalgiris in Lithuania (December 2nd, 8:00 p.m.), Villerban will host Monaco (December 1st, 9:00 p.m.).