By Alex Molina / [email protected]
Panathinaikos won the duel against Barça by 90-89. Such a score can only mean that the game was tied until the end, with one man tipping the balance being a complete pain in the ass. Kendrick Nunn won the scoring duel with Kevin Punter and was decisive in the local victory.
The Nunn Factor
Although he did not play a bad game at all, Barça improved a lot when Tomas Satoransky sat on the bench so that his place could be taken. Juan Núñez (19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists). The Spanish point guard is ready to start and gave a real performance in the first half, being the most clear-sighted player in the Barça attack. Kevin Punter failed to get into the offensive dynamic and Barça suffered, but the entry of Justin Anderson (8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) He gave the Peñarroya team an extra energy boost that always comes to OAKA.
Barça’s exercise of resistance was commendable, since in addition to having to deal with the current champion at home, they had to add home-made refereeing like few others. Little by little, Barça managed to turn the match around, putting a 33-36 score on the scoreboard that could have been wider had they scored the (few) free throws they had at their disposal, mistakes that they ended up paying for. Lorenzo Brown (18 puntos), Mathias Lessort y Kendrick Nunn They came into action to keep Panathinaikos going, with the latter scoring two buzzer beaters to end the first two quarters and sending the game into halftime at 45-45.
The second half did not bring with it many changes. Barça continued with a very good dynamic, with Abrines and Parker (15 points) joining the party, and Panathinaikos without committing fouls. Despite the show of those in black and orange, Barça managed to extend the lead to 55-66, a +11 that tasted like glory and that showed that the team is capable of the best… and the worst. It may seem like a joke but it’s not: Kendrick Nunn finished the third quarter with another basket at the buzzer (63-69).
Ending the third quarter in this way was the only thing Gate 13 needed to activate. The first horto magiko of the night was followed by two more triples of Nunn (29 points) to make it 69-69 that hurt the Barça team a lot. A success from beyond the arc by Mitoglou meant a 72-71 that was much more than a plus one for the locals. Regaining the lead on the scoreboard was all Panathinaikos needed to take control of the match.
Peñarroya took an area for a walk that worked, since Barça tied the game at 84 with a triple from Punter. The American, at 85-84, lost the ball, and the suffocating Panathinaikos defense had a free bar to press in the hot moments. Reaching the last 30 seconds of such a close match with only two team fouls was as incomprehensible as it was decisive, although the epic still remained. Abrines (13 points) He forced the tie at 89 with three more than doubtful free throws… but even more questionable was the foul that decided the match: Lessort (16 points and 8 rebounds) He was the target of a “foul” on the part of the Balearic Islands, putting a 90-89 score from the line that no longer moved.
