In a battle of EuroLeague powerhouses that lived up to the expectations, Panathinaikos Athens held off FC Barcelona Lassa 71-65 on Tuesday night in the Greek capital. Panathinaikos improved to 11-8, while Barcelona lost its seventh consecutive road game and dropped to 8-11 for the season. Panathinaikos took the lead for good in the second quarter and despite rarely holding a double-digit margin, the hosts kept control thanks to forcing 21 turnovers and hitting 11 three-pointers. Ioannis Bourousis stepped up with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 2 blocks, to lead the Greens. K.C. Rivers added 13 points, while Chris Singleton and Mike James each scored 10 in victory. Tyrese Rice had 12 points, Justin Doellman 11 and Vitor Faverani and Petteri Koponen each netted 10 in defeat.
Panathinaikos was the one to strike first with Bourousis and Kenny Gabriel hitting back-to-back threes, and when James Feldeine hit his from long range, the score was 11-7. Rice and Juan Carlos Navarro helped get Barcelona within 15-13 after 10 minutes, and after River and Doellman traded three-pointers early in the second, it was Aleksandar Veznekov inside and Koponen from the outside that put the visitors in front 22-25. However, Singleton hit his first and second triple to spark a 12-0 run, which was capped by a Rivers three-pointer that made it 34-25. The hosts led 36-29 at halftime and a triple from Nick Calathes extended the margin to double figures, 39-29. Tomic and Rice halved the deficit, but Feldeine kept Panathinaikos in front. A triple from Victor Claver and a floater from Rice got Barcelona within 46-43, but Bourousis was the main protagonist at both ends of the floor and helped the hosts enter the final quarter with a 54-46 advantage. At the start of the fourth, Koponen and Vezenkov hit threes that got the visitors to 55-54. But James drove for a layup, Rivers made a pair of steals, and Singleton hit a three to open a 63-56 margin. Vezenkonv, Faverani and Koponen kept Barcelona in it and the visitors closed to 69-65 with 2:35 to go, but there was only one basket the remainder of the game, a James jumper that sealed the deal.
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