Panathinaikos continued their unbeaten run at the top of the Stoiximan GBL standings with an emphatic 85-68 victory over Lavrio on Sunday, December 15. The match, played as part of the tenth round of the league, showcased the skills of the "Greens," who now boast six consecutive away wins this season.
Under the guidance of head coach Ergün Ataman, Panathinaikos displayed dominance against their opponents without confronting significant challenges, making this matchup seem almost routine. Their five players scoring double digits—Mathias Lessort (13 points), Jerrian Grant (12), Juancho Hernangomez (12), Dinos Mitoglou (11), and Cedi Osman (11)—highlighted the team's offensive prowess.
Meanwhile, Lavrio's leading scorer was Sam Griffin, finishing the game with 17 points. The loss left Lavrio at 4-6 for the season, struggling to find consistency, particularly at home where their record stands at 3-3.
The game saw Kendrick Nunn leave the court halfway through the third quarter after twisting his right ankle, and he did not return to the game. Adding to the challenges faced by Panathinaikos, American guard Lorenzo Brown was absent due to muscle spasms affecting his left hamstring. Similarly, Marius Grigonis continues to recover following surgery on his back, and Ioannis Papapetrou was sidelined by illness.
On the Lavrio side, Kevon Allen made his debut, taking the spot of Taj Sherman, who was also out with injury (strained hamstring). Kostas Gontikas left the game mid-third quarter with discomfort in his knee.
Looking forward, Panathinaikos now shifts focus to the upcoming “Hell Week” of EuroLeague matches. They will have two challenging home games at OAKA, first against Armani Milano on Tuesday, December 17, and then against Baskonia on Thursday, December 19, for rounds 16 and 17 respectively.
The match against Lavrio started steadily, with both teams exchanging leads, but ended the first quarter tied at 20-20. By the end of the second quarter, Panathinaikos pulled away significantly, leading by 10 points at halftime (45-37). Another strong performance put them up by as much as 17 points (56-39) early in the third, though Lavrio attempted to mount a comeback, narrowing the gap to 63-52 by the end of the third period. Despite their efforts, Lavrio could not overturn the deficit, allowing Panathinaikos to secure their victory with the final score of 85-68.
Jerrian Grant emerged as the key player, boasting the highest Index with 20, along with 12 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds across 31 minutes of play. Panathinaikos also distinguished themselves through superior ball distribution, recording 27 assists compared to Lavrio’s 10.
Officiated by Giopanos (Thessaloniki), Kalogrias (Attica), and Leventakos (Attica), the match had quarters concluding at 20-20, 37-45, 52-63, and 68-85 respectively. For Lavrio, the points were scored by Chamis (7), Griffin (17), Koniaris (2), Allen, Mouratos (12), Zaras (5), Gontikas (2), Vaughn (2), Wahab (8), Forrest (7), and Slater (6).
Following this game, Panathinaikos will host Aris on Sunday, December 22, at 20:15, and Lavrio will face AEK at the “SUNEL Arena” of Fyli on Saturday, December 21, at 20:15, behind closed doors.
