Priftis on Panathinaikos win: "It's good the way we won"

### Dimitris Priftis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Congratulations to the players for the first win of the season and to the fans. They supported us and I think they were a factor for this game and for this win. Regarding the game, we have a lot of things to do better, to put them into the game, a lot of rules to follow with more consistency. I think we need to improve and to progress. Right now, it looks to me that we have to improve a lot of things. It's good the way we won, but I see a lot of things we have to correct. At least, this win gives us an optimistic atmosphere to keep working."

Barca’s decisive burst

But then Barca went on a 0-10 surge to take a double-digit lead into the locker room, grabbing the momentum of the game for good. Nigel Hayes-Davis made a couple of two-pointers during that run, Nikola Mirotic struck from beyond the arc and Brandon Davies did the rest from the foul line.

FC Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona (2021-10-07T18:30:00.000Z)

After finishing scoreless in Game 1 against Monaco, Nemanja Nedovic became crucial for his team's first win at home. 

Nemanja Nedovic lifts Greens again

After finishing scoreless in Game 1 against Monaco, Nemanja Nedovic became crucial for his team's first win at home. He scored 13 of his total 20 points in the last quarter, hitting 11 of 11 from the free-throw line and drawing the unsportsmanlike foul that allowed the Greens to get back the lead for good with less than 3 seconds to go.

Devin Booker (14), Jan Vesely (18), Nando De Colo (16), Dyshawn Pierre (10) and Pierria Henry (12) combined for 70 of Fenerbahce’s 87 total points. They were not enough, though, to take the prize.

Fenerbahce's fab five

In a close game in which no team was able to get a double-digit lead over the 40 minutes, a cold-blooded Panathinaikos took advantage of the free-throw shooting to claim its reward. The Greens went for 25-of-27 (92.6%), and hit the last 9 without a miss in the last 40 seconds of the game.

The Greens survived the game staying almost perfect from the line

Free throws become X-Factor for Panathinaikos

Henry got the visitors going with back-to-back threes, but Panathinaikos found an appropriate answer from Papapetrou to tie the score at 8-8 after 4 minutes. Five points in a row by White granted the hosts a 13-8 lead that didn’t last for long. Fenerbahce put Guduric and De Colo on the floor and a 0-6 run capped by a dunk by Vesely forced a timeout by the Greens. Guduric dug it deeper, 13-17, with a corner three right after and, even though Perry and Nedovic showed up to reanimate the hosts, De Colo helped the guests close the first quarter with a 20-21 edge. 

Polonara and Booker came up big early in the second, combining for 12 points to make up for a couple of three-pointers by Perry and Evans and build a 31-37 advantage for the visitors. Panathinaikos was unable to turn its offensive rebounding dominance into a real outcome, as Vesely and De Colo took over to keep Fenerbahce ahead, 36-45. The hosts didn’t give up, though, and counterattacked with a 9-1 run in which Papapetrou had 5 points to make it 45-46 at halftime.

Gallery

Both teams swapped baskets early after the break until Vesely and Booker took over in the paint to give the visitors a 51-57 edge midway through the third. The greens kept pushing, but each comeback attempt was quickly aborted. De Colo joined Vesely on offense to ignite a 0-7 run and keep a solid 56-64 advantage after 28 minutes. Panathinaikos didn’t say its last word, as an 8-0 boost fueled by Floyd tied the game again, 64-64, soon after. A corner three by Polonara allowed Fenerbahce to retain the lead, 64-67, entering the last quarter.

Another bomb by Pierre kept the visitors calm, 66-72. An unsportsmanlike foul on Nedovic seemed to make the hosts react, as the guard and Macon combined to return the lead to Panathinaikos, 77-76, with 4 minutes to go. Vesely and Pierre came to the rescue to put the visitors back in charge, 82-87 with 40 seconds to go, which looked like a death sentence for the home team. But it was then when all hell broke loose at OAKA. Two unsportsmanlike fouls in a row called on Guduric and Booker, the last with just 2 seconds remaining, allowed Nedovic to lift his team and take the lead, 88-87. Another foul on Papapetrou’s three-point attempt right after Panathinaikos inbounded the ball turned into 3 more points and started a crazy celebration on the stands.

Saša Đorđević opened his Fenerbahçe reign with a win at Crvena Zvezda's expense. He takes his team to his former employers Panathinaikos, who seek improvement from a humbling evening in Monaco.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul - Round 2 - Highlights

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens enjoyed an unforgettable night when it defeated visiting Fenerbahce BEKO Istanbul 91-87 at OAKA on Thursday night. The hosts were 5 points down with just 40 seconds ’ to go, but they kept believing and drew 2 unsportsmanlike fouls in a row that sparked a late 9-0 run from the free-throw line that turned the game upside down. Panathinaikos improved to 1-1, the same record as Fenerbahce. Nemanja Nedovic scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the greens with 20. Ioannis Papapetrou followed with 14 points, 5 boards and 4 assists and Daryl Macon Jr. and Okaro White added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Jan Vesely registered a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Nando de Colo poured in 16 points in as many minutes. Devin Booker and Pierria Henry followed them with 14 and 12 in losing effort.

Nedovic rescues Greens in incredible win, 91-87

### XAVI PASCUAL, ZENIT ST PETERSBURG HEAD COACH

"After winning in Kazan, we are going to play again away in Kaunas with supporters, in a good atmosphere. That's one of the most beautiful arenas in the competition. Their supporters are very nice, so it’s always a pleasure to play there. From our side, we’ll try to keep our way — we were the only team that won on the road in the first round. We’ll try to repeat it, so we have to play a great game defensively and offensively, control the rhythm, control the turnovers and rebounds, I think the team is working well despite the fact that last game against Astana we didn’t approach the game in a correct way. The team is working hard and I’m sure tomorrow we’ll be in the game. If we play in the right way, we’ll have possibilities to win."

### ANDREY ZUBKOV, ZENIT ST PETERSBURG FORWARD

"The team has refreshed and strengthened with new talents, but the key players from last year are still there. Lithuania, Zalgiris, there will be fans. The game will not be the same as it was last year when we played in silence. In Lithuania, they know how to root for the team. We must rehabilitate from the last home game, each of us must understand what we want and why we are going there. I think we all figured it out, we will try to play our best game."

This is what the Zenit St Petersburg protagonists of the game had to say before the game.

Xavi Pascual, Zenit: "That's one of the most beautiful arenas in the competition"

Zalgiris Kaunas v Zenit St Petersburg (2021-10-07T17:00:00.000Z)

### MARTIN SCHILLER, ZALGIRIS KAUNAS HEAD COACH

"Zenit is obviously a very stacked team despite not having Shabazz Napier with them. I think they are not a dark horse anymore. I think they are a team that is competing for the playoffs and more. In my eyes, the frontcourt is extremely physical with the two fives and Mickey at the four, there’s a lot of physicality. There’s a lot of shooting on the team, especially with Baron and Frankamp. When they have Shabazz back, it will be a high-quality team in this league, but even without him, they are a really tough team. I am looking forward to the challenge."

### EDGARAS ULANOVAS, ZALGIRIS KAUNAS FORWARD

"Zenit is a very deep team. They have great new additions in Conner Frankamp and Jordan Mickey, who can stretch the floor and play in multiple positions. Another great thing about them is having a coach who stayed in the team and knows the ropes. It is well organized team, they are very disciplined, and it is tough to play against teams like this. Another thing I want to say is that we are very excited to have our fans back. It is a feeling which was missed for most of us and to have them in Zalgirio Arena will be a very emotional moment for our team."

This is what the Zalgiris Kaunas protagonists of the game had to say before the game.

Martin Schiller, Zalgiris: "I think they are not a dark horse anymore."

Keys to victory: Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Zenit St Petersburg

Zalgiris struggled to score in the paint against ASVEL, making just 17-of-37 shots (45.9%) inside the arc. On the other hand, ASVEL had really good shooting percentages against the Lithuanian champs (60.0% 2FG, 47.8% 3FG), so reaching out to defend shots and improving its defense should be two big keys for Coach Martin Schiller's squad. Zalgiris had 12 turnovers but ASVEL had 10 steals, which means that most of its mistakes went straight into their opponents' hands. In that sense, Mantas Kalnietis, Mudiay and Strelnieks should have a critical role in this game, organizing Zalgiris's offense and minimizing mistakes. Getting Lauvergne and Josh Nebo involved around the basket should be important, too.

In Kazan, Zenit led by 12 points with over 3 minutes left and UNICS managed to keep its chances alive until the final seconds. Zenit committed 18 turnovers and struggled from beyond the three-point line (8-of-29, 27.6% 3FG). Without injured playmaker Shabazz Napier, Conner Frankamp and Dmitry Kulagin should once again share the point guard duties. Zenit only had 11 assists against UNICS, so getting its best scorers (Baron, Loyd) and strongest finishers (Jordan Mickey, Alex Poythress) involved should be another key to remain undefeated.

Zalgiris struggled to score in the paint against ASVEL, making just 17-of-37 shots (45.9%) inside the arc. 