PAOK – Dijon 66-70: Lost in Premier League, the Bigfoot of the North has a long way to go

PAOK opened the 2022/23 Basketball Champions League season with a home loss to Dijon (66-70). Aris Lykogianni’s team made an effort, they fought to the end but they didn’t have a good night on the outside, they didn’t have the creation they wanted and were bent by an opponent who showed more balance in their game . Few stood out from the Thessalonians, with Jalen Riley (25 points) struggling more than everyone else, while Chase Simon was easily the second-best scorer thanks to his execution.

With Zach Alling dealing significant damage early (6 points, 3/4 2 points), Dijon built a 13-point lead (18-5) after eight minutes. PAOK had five penalties and 1/7 shots, but the third’s 13-19 was pretty good by the picture of the two teams. Only the Thessalonians had nothing left. They fought, staying close and following their opponents, who passed the baton from Aling to Simon for a 27-38 at halftime. Aris Lykogiannis saw a failure from the perimeter (3/15), he saw a minimal creation (5 assists for 9 errors), but despite this, the match still had a long way to go.

The excitement at the beginning of the second part was there for PAOK. -3 (34-37) delighted players, coaches and crowds, but Dijon once again found ways to stay ahead and avoid significant threats. A long-range shot by Kamberidis (46:53 in the 29th minute) kept the hosts alive, but not for long. 48-62 in the 34th minute seemed to cut the legs off Lykogiannis’ players, a partial 11-2 “ignited” the fight after Riley’s three in the 38th minute, with the American paring even more after Markovic’s time-out to make it one lead thriller finale.

Nikolic made it 61-66 after an offensive rebound from Simon, PAOK made a mistake in the next stage and somewhere there Dijon practically sealed the win when the referees saw a foul at 13.8″ with Hrovat taking the shots and his Team inside held two possessions.

THE REFEREES: Krejic, Jilmaz, Zupancic

THE DECADES: 13-19, 28-37, 46-55, 66-70

PAOK (Lykogiannis): Franke 11 (2/4 2-pointers, 1/5 3-pointers, 4/4 shots), Hunts 8 (3/11 shots, 7 rebounds), Poli (0/5 shots), Renfro 9 ( 2/2 2-pointers, 5/6 3-pointers, 5/6 shots, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks), Riley 25 (3/6 2-pointers, 6/12 3-pointers, 1 /2 shots, 5 rebounds), Christidis, Darko-Kelly 2, Kamberidis 6, Margaritis 5, Saloustros, Slaftsakis

DIZON (Markovic): Holston 7 (5 assists), Hrovat 9 (1/10 shots, 7/7 shots), Lum 3, Nikolic 6 (1), Simon 25 (6/9 2-pointers, 4/5 3-pointers ). , 1/3 shots), Alling 8 (4/7 2-pointers), Brebley 4, McDuffie 3, Roussel 5

PAOK team stats: 10/24 2-pointers, 11/33 3-pointers, 13/19 shots, 41 rebounds (31 defense – 10 offense), 12 assists, 9 steals, 5 blocks, 17 fouls

Dijon team stats: 17/37 2-pointers, 7/21 3-pointers, 15/23 shots, 41 rebounds (33 defensive – 8 offensive), 14 assists, 10 steals, 3 blocks, 15 turnovers

The next games of the two teams: On Matchday 2, PAOK hosts Sassari (19/10, 19:30 CET) while Dijon plays Malaga (19/10, 21:30 CEST).