Real Madrid’s last defeat at home was on February 29, 2024 against Panathinaikos. The Greek team ended the whites’ winning streak at home and did so with an offensive sufficiency that questions what was Madrid’s best virtue until now, its defense. Madrid competed, but they did so from a feeling of indisguisable inferiority. Panathinaikos ignored all the pillars of Scariolo’s group. Campazzo, Hezonja, Lyles, Tavares… all except Feliz were inconsequential.
Kenneth Faried, in his second game with Panathinaikos (17 points and 10 rebounds in the first in Paris), received an assist from Sloukas and went straight to the hoop without caring in the least that Tavares was in the way. He nailed a dunk in front of Edy’s 2.21 and it wasn’t the first. His teammates on the bench burst out laughing and put their hands to their heads. It was the cherry on top of two perfect quarters in attack by the Greeks. Madrid conceded 52 points before the break because in all direct duels Ataman’s players were superior. The commitment to a zonal defense, as in Valencia, did not serve to alter the Athenian attack either.
And Madrid’s first bet worked relatively well. Feliz paired up with Nunn and had the PAO’s main threat under control. But it didn’t matter because the Greeks found resources even in the trunk of the bus. Rogkavopoulos was the promising player at Baskonia; Juancho was once again very far from the gray player of the past Eurobasket; Shorts looked like the player who dazzled last year in Paris and when Ataman decided to move the bench, something he did not do in the first quarter, the substitutes responded with note. Osman ate Hezonja, Sloukas played to his heart’s content and made Faried have a great time. And Madrid? Except for Maledon, the team was timid. Even Lyles sank into mediocrity. The slackness was especially disturbing with three decisive pieces: Campazzo, Hezonja and Tavares were not in the first two quarters at the Movistar Arena.
And they didn’t appear later. As Panathinaikos continued to do its thing, the differences reached close to twenty points. And that despite the efforts of Andrés Feliz. The Dominican’s tenacity reduced the gap, but the story of the second quarter was repeated as soon as Sloukas appeared in the third. At 35 years old, his attacking game was exemplary. He didn’t make a bad decision. And Madrid’s tests, including a quintet with the three point guards, were of no use. When the team tried to show pride, a triple from Juancho came that ended any discussion.
77. Real Madrid (16+22+21+16): Campazzo (4), Feliz (16), Deck (4), Lyles (7) and Tavares (18) – starting quintet – Abalde (8), Okeke (3), Maledon (6), Hezonja (5), Len (4), Garuba (0) and Llull (0).
87. Panathinaikos (22+30+21+14): Shorts (19), Nunn (8), Rogkavopoulos (7), Juancho (5) and Faried (16) – starting quintet – Osman (13), Sloukas (15), Mitoglou (4), Samodurov (0) and Grant (0).
Referees: Belosevic (Ser), Bissang (Fra) and Pastusiak (Pol). No eliminated.
Incidents: 8,266 spectators at the Movistar Arena. Match corresponding to the eleventh day of the Euroleague.
11th day: Red Star, 91-Monaco, 79; Fenerbahçe, 74-Hapoel Tel Aviv, 68; Real Madrid, 77-Panathinaikos, 87; Paris Basketball-Valencia Basket; Maccabi Tel Aviv-Baskonia; Dubai Basketball-Zalgiris Kaunas (17:00); Anadolu Efes-Bayern Munich (18:00); ASVEL Villeurbanne-Partizan (20:00); Barcelona-Virtus Bologna (20:30) and Armani Milan-Olympaicos (20:30). (All in Movistar +).
Classification (wins/losses): 1. Hapoel Tel Aviv (8/3); 2. Red Star (8/3); 3. Zalgiris Kaunas (7/3); 4. Olympiacos (7/3); 5. Panathinaikos (7/4); 6. Monaco (6/5); 7. Valencia Basket (6/4); 8. Barcelona (6/4); 9. Fenerbahce (6/5); 10. Bayern Munich (5/5); 11. Virtus Bologna (5/5); 12. Armani Milan (5/5); 13. Real Madrid (5/6); 14. Paris Basketball (4/5); 15. Dubai Basketball (4/6); 16. Partizan (4/6); 17. Anadolu Efes (3/7); 18. Baskonia (3/7); 19. Maccabi Tel Aviv (2/8); 20. ASVEL Villeurbanne (2/8). .