Panathinaikos Athens got back in the win column and continued climbing in the standings with a no-doubt-about it 85-58 home win over Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul on Friday. Panathinaikos moves to 6-5 and erased the memory of its 57-point offensive performance a week early by getting admirable scoring distribution in this one. Nick Calathes, Kenny Gabriel and K.C. Rivers all scored 14 points, while Chris Singleton and Mike James had 13 each for the winners, who led by just 1 point, 28-27, midway through the second quarter, but dominated the rest of the way. The Panathinaikos defense held Galatasaray to 32.5% two-point shooting and limited the visitors to one double-digit scorer, Blake Schilb, with 15 points. Galatasaray's last-place record fell to 3-8.
James Feldeine stole and finished, then fed Gabriel for a layup, before Schilb got Galatasaray on the scoreboard. Sinan Guler's layup was answered by one from Calathes plus free throws from Gabriel. By the time Nichols hit his second short jumper, it was already 14-4. After a timeout, Russ Smith entered and scored for the visitors, then got to the free throw line to make it 14-8. Calathes traded layups with Smith then hit a lane jumper and split a double-team to restore a double-digit lead, 20-10. But Schilb had the last word with a corner triple on the buzzer to make it 20-13 after 10 minutes. Schilb hit another triple to start the second quarter, while James had a put-back for Panathinaikos. Schilb was feeling it, hitting his third three-pointer in a row, this time from the wing, for a 22-19 score. James dropped a jumper and then Deon Thompson picked the pocket of Ioannis Bourousis for a dunk. After Rivers broke a scoring drought from mid-range, Alex Tyus made 2 free throws and blasted a dunk for a one-point game, 26-25. Rivers answered with a baseline jumper, but Tyus was back slamming an offensive rebound at 28-27. Singleton came up with his first 4 points before Rivers stroked a triple and free throws before Calathes hit a bank shot and Panathinaikos pulled into halftime leading 39-31.
Singleton buried a two-pointer as the Panathinaikos lead reached double-digits again, then his steal led to an unsportsmanlike foul by Schilb. Singleton's free throws and Gabriel a layup suddenly had the Greens up 45-31. Smith hit a rainbow shot as an exchange of baskets was highlighted by a triple from Gabriel at 50-36. Guler got a runner, but another Singleton steal and unsportsmanlike foul, this time on Jon Diebler, let Singleton make it 52-38. Thompson and Singleton exchanged two-pointers, the latter's coming with a free throw at 55-40. Vladimir Micov made an acrobatic layup but Nichols answered with a jumper and soon from downtown, too. When James blew by the defense for a layup, the lead topped 20 points for the first time, even though Micov cut it to 64-45 after 30 minutes. James kept adding to the lead with a basket, 2 free throws on yet another unsportsmanlike foul, and a jumper at 70-45. After that, the hosts were content to trade baskets, but Nichols from downtown and Bourousis twice inside wanted more, and the lead kept soaring, to 80-49. Galatasaray got some points back but not enough to avoid its fifth-worst worst scoring performance in the EuroLeague as Gabriel detonated a reverse dunk to finish it 85-58 and send the Panathinaikos fans home singing.
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