Greek League, Regular Season, Game 23: April 5-6, 2008
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Panathinaikos and Olympiacos suffered rare defeats over the weekend. The Greens struggled through a 2-24 third period to allow AEK to come back after a 15-point-deficit to win 70-66. Nikos Barlos bagged 20 points, 7 rebounds and the free throws that sealed AEK’s win. Panionios dictated the tempo from the very beginning to sail to an easy 84-72 win over Olympiacos, which seemed to have more in mind its upcoming do-or-die Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs game against CSKA in Moscow. Ivan Zoroski posted 20 points and 6 assists and Giannis Kalampokis added 19 points for Panionios. Aris returned to the win column by beating Kolossos Rhodes 75-64 at home as Jeremiah Massey posted a double-double of 20 points and 11 boards and Darius Washington added 15 points and 4 assists. Panellinios moved another step forward in order to secure fourth place in the standings after handling visiting AGO Rethymnon 87-76 behind 24 points from Anthony Grundy. AE Larissa clinched a playoff birth after beating PAOK 74-63 as Billy Keys totaled 20 points and 10 rebounds and Tadas Klimavicius added 19 points. In other games, Olympia Larissa offered Egaleo a 72-76 home disappointment with Mirza Kurtovic and Fanis Koubouras netting 14 points each, while Maroussi did not face any trouble to crush Olympiada Patras 73-93 on the road behind 22 points from Jarod Stevenson.
At OAKA Sports Hall, Panathinaikos closed a convincing first half at the helm 25-40, but host AEK reacted with an incredible 24-2 start in the third quarter to sail in front en route to the 70-66 win. AEK took advantage of its momentum and created a 58-47 margin with seven minutes to go, but Panathinaikos was not ready to surrender and the Greens tied the game at 66-66. Alexis Kyritsis and Barlos kept their nerve and led the hosts to the win to perfectly celebrate AEK’s 40-year anniversary since the team’s 1968 Cup Winners Cup triumph over Slavia Prague. The members of that team were honored before the tip-off. Barlos scored 20 points, while Kyritsis and Amara Sy had 13 each. Vassilis Spanoulis and Mike Batiste scored 13 apiece and Sarunas Jasikevicius contributed 11 for Panathinaikos in defeat.
Olympiacos never showed up at Hellinikon Complex as Panionios controlled the game from the first minute till the end for an easy 84-72 win. The guests were obviously influenced by their Thursday Euroleague loss to CSKA at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Two former Olympiacos players led the way for Panionios; Ivan Zoroski gunned 20 points and 6 assists, while Giannis Kalampokis poured in 19 points. Dusan Sakota also contributed 17 on 4 triples. Qyntel Woods, Giorgos Printezis and Lynn Greer scored 12, 11 and 10 points respectively for Olympiacos. In spite of Kolossos Rhodes mighty effort, Aris never lost advantage in the Alexandrion Melathron for a 75-64 win. Jeremiah Massey posted 20 points and 11 boards; Darius Washington added 15 points and 4 assists, Bracey Wright added 11 points and Rayshawn Terry 10 for the winners. Danilo Pinnock had 20 points for the guests in defeat.
LAST GAME GAME 23
April 5-6, 2008 | | Day | Match | Result | | Apr. 5 | A.E.P. OLYMPIAS vs. MAROUSI | 73-93 | | Apr. 5 | EGALEO vs. OLYMPIA ATHI. | 72-76 | | Apr. 5 | ARIS T.T.BANK vs. KOLOSSOS | 75-64 | | Apr. 6 | A.E.L. vs. P.A.O.K. | 74-63 | | Apr. 6 | PANELLINIOS vs. ALMECO | 87-76 | | Apr. 5 | PANIONIOS vs. OLYMPIACOS | 84-72 | | Apr. 5 | A.E.K. vs. PANATHINAIKOS | 70-66 |
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NEXT GAME GAME 24
April 16, 2008 | | Day | Match | | Apr. 16 | LARISAS vs. AEP OLYMPIAS | | Apr. 16 | KOLOSSOS vs. EGALEO | | Apr. 16 | ALMECO vs. ARIS T.T. BANK | | Apr. 16 | MAROUSI vs. A.E.K. | | Apr. 16 | PANATHINAIKOS vs. Panio. | | Apr. 16 | OLYMPIACOS vs.A.E.L.1964 | | Apr. 16 | P.A.O.K. vs. PANELLINIOS |
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| STANDINGS | TG | W | L | P+ | P- | | 1 | PANATHINAIKOS | 23 | 20 | 3 | 2033 | 1622 | | 2 | OLYMPIACOS | 23 | 19 | 4 | 1970 | 1666 | | 3 | ARIS T.T.BANK | 23 | 15 | 8 | 1712 | 1616 | | 4 | PANELLINIOS | 23 | 14 | 9 | 1799 | 1766 | | 5 | PANIONIOS OnTelecoms | 23 | 13 | 10 | 1783 | 1687 | | 6 | EGALEO | 23 | 11 | 12 | 1778 | 1833 | | 7 | A.E.L. | 23 | 11 | 12 | 1731 | 1752 | | 8 | A.E.K. | 23 | 11 | 12 | 1695 | 1691 | | 9 | MAROUSI COSTA COFFEE | 23 | 11 | 12 | 1689 | 1706 | | 10 | OLYMPIA ATHIENITIS | 23 | 10 | 13 | 1588 | 1632 | | 11 | P.A.O.K. | 23 | 8 | 15 | 1647 | 1763 | | 12 | A.G.O.R. ALMECO | 23 | 8 | 15 | 1640 | 1710 | | 13 | KOLOSSOS RODOU | 23 | 7 | 16 | 1717 | 1964 | | 14 | A.E.P. OLYMPIAS | 23 | 3 | 20 | 1579 | 1953 |
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Stelios Kyriakoglou, Athens
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