Panathinaikos beat Unicaja Malaga for Euroleague Top 16

Panathinaikos hosted and defeated Unicaja Malaga in Athens for Euroleague Top 16. It was a do or die game with the Greens needing the victory to qualify to the next round. Unicaja Malaga took an early lead in score but Panathinaikos made a 5-0 and a 7-0 run, so the first quarter finished with the home team ahead by 7, 17-12. Second quarter was balanced with Malaga lowering the difference to 5 points by the end of the first half. Both teams were bad in three pointers in the first half, 2/10 for Panathinaikos and 2/13 for Malaga. The strong point for Malaga was the offensive rebounds, having 12 in the first half while Panathinaikos had 15 in total. Unicaja Malaga counter attacked in the third quarter and equalized the score in 24th minute, 37-37, but Panathinaikos replied with a 10-0 run and made the score 47-37. Third quarter finished with a three pointer by Loukas Mavrokefalidis that made the score 55-41. In the last quarter Panathinaikos created a difference of 17 points but Malaga with a run lowered the difference to 9 points since the home team was playing with the mind in clock. Panathinaikos won Unicaja Malaga by 69-60 and qualified to the semi-finals of Euroleague. Panathinaikos improved in three pointers and rebounds in the second half, while Malaga finished the game with 3/20 three pointers. For Panathinaikos 11 players scored, all except Giankovits, and Dimitris Diamantidis was the top scorer with 13 points.
Quarters' scores: 19-12, 33-28, 55-41, 69-60.

The captain ready for yet another assist @Euroleague @paobcgr-@unicajaCB pic.twitter.com/1OL7zLIOT3
— Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) April 3, 2014

Panathinaikos: Bramos 8, Curry 8, Batiste 3, Fotsis 4, Ukic 7, Lasme 10, Mavrokefalidis 3, Diamantidis 13, Gist 6, Giankovits, Maciulis 5, Wright 2.
Unicaja Malaga: Sabonis 7, Vidal, Urtasun 3, Calloway, Suarez 7, Granger 8, Vazquez 8, Toolson 6, Kuzminskas 2, Dragic 6, Caner-Medley 1, Stimac 12.