Madrid lose in Athens

Real Madrid lost away to Panathinaikos on Euroleague gameday 28. The Whites, who visited a very difficult court, were not consistent from the three-point line and were unable to overcome one of the best offensive teams in the Euroleague. Chus Mateo's team have six Regular Season games ahead of them if they are to continue fighting to reach the playoffs. Tavares, with 16 points and a PIR of 20, and Hezonja (18 and 16) were the most outstanding Madrid players in Athens.
Madrid had a difficult task ahead of them in a vibrant atmosphere. That's exactly how it turned out. There were five minutes of trial and error in which Hezonja led our attack (7-6). Chus Mateo's men rebounded well but failed to take advantage of second chances. The home side, with the Nunn-Hernángomez duo and their success from the three-point line, managed to get a +5 lead. Madrid tried to prevent their rivals from pulling away on the scoreboard, but an inspired Nunn (9 points) led the 24-13 of the first quarter.
The visiting team's lack of success from outside the perimeter undermined any chance of closing the gap on the scoreboard. This allowed Panathinaikos to maintain a lead of more than 10 points (33-19; 14'). Chus Mateo brought on Hugo González, who gave the team an extra boost. Together with Tavares (10 points), they made it 0-6 in the run for 35-29. However, the Greeks stepped up a gear through Sloukas and Lorenzo Brown to deny our team any chance and go into the break ahead (40-33).
Duel of runs
Little changed after the break. Panathinaikos went 8-0 to start the second half with six consecutive points from Weyen and Grant (6 assists) finding space for his teammates (48-33). Madrid were still looking to close the gap on the scoreboard. They went 2-13 thanks to Tavares, imperial under the hoop, and Hezonja for 50-46. But in the final minutes of the third quarter, the Greeks extended their lead again to go into the final ten minutes 63-53.
Real Madrid went out all out in search of a comeback at the OAKA. They reduced the deficit to 6 points with Bruno Fernando very active on both sides of the court (63-57). However, once again, Panathinaikos quickly increased the gap and left Madrid with no chance. Mitoglou, Nunn, Grant and Sloukas sealed the victory in the final minutes (85-70). Chus Mateo's team will end the week at home against UCAM Murcia (Sunday, 12:30pm CET).
PANATHINAIKOS-REAL MADRID STATISTICS